This robotic hand can crawl over to objects before picking them up. — Xiao Gao/Youtube.com
Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a robotic hand that can detach from its arm and crawl, spider-like, to retrieve and handle objects that would otherwise be out of reach. At the end of its mission, it can even reattach back onto its arm.
In terms of potential uses, the idea is to one day be able to retrieve out-of-reach objects thanks to this invention. If an object is out of reach of the arm, the hand can be released. The hand can then reattach to the robot's wrist using magnets for alignment and a screw mechanism for locking it in place.
This is the first time that a robotic hand has been designed to both grasp objects and crawl towards them. After much study, the optimal design features a five-fingered hand, with two fingers dedicated to grasping objects and three fingers optimized for walking.
Each finger has four degrees of freedom, enough to lift objects without impeding the hand's forward movement. The result is a combination of mobility and dexterity.
In various laboratory tests, this robotic hand has already been able to pick up a mustard bottle, a tube of Pringles or even a small plastic cube.
This incredible achievement is somewhat reminiscent of “Thing”, the severed hand seen scuttling around in The Addams Family. For the moment, the whole system is controlled manually, but the next step will be to build an autonomous version. – AFP Relaxnews
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