Researchers have designed a low-cost, energy-efficient robotic hand that can grasp a range of objects – and not drop them using just the movement of its wrist and the feeling in its ‘skin’. A team from the University of Cambridge designed the soft, 3D-printed robotic hand. Although it cannot independently move its fingers but can still carry out a range of complex movements.
Grasping objects of different sizes, shapes and textures is a problem that is easy for a human, but challenging for a robot. The robot hand was trained to grasp different objects and was able to predict whether it would drop them by using the information provided by sensors placed on its ‘skin’. This type of passive movement makes the robot far easier to control and far more energy-efficient than robots with fully motorised fingers.
The researchers say their adaptable design could be used in the development of low-cost robots that are capable of more natural movement and can learn to grasp a wide range of objects. Most of today’s advanced robots are not capable of manipulation tasks that small children can perform with ease. Humans instinctively know how much force to use when picking up an egg, but for a robot, this is a challenge: too much force, and the egg could shatter; too little, and the robot could drop it.
The hand aims to solve this by using sensors and training to enable it to predict when it would drop things - and alter its grip. In future, the system could be expanded in several ways, notably by adding vision sensors - with the hand providing the possibility that robots could truly grip naturally like a human.