Johns Hopkins University researchers have developed a robotic hand that grasps like a human and knows exactly how hard to squeeze objects. This paves the way for next-generation prosthetic hands that deliver feedback to the user’s nerves.
During various tests, the robotic hand was able to grasp 15 different objects, including delicate stuffed toys, cardboard boxes, metallic water bottles, a plastic cup filled with water, and even pineapples, all without damaging them. The hand itself features five articulating fingers made from soft rubber-like polymers, and a rigid 3D-printed skeleton. Its three layers of tactile sensors were inspired by the layers of human skin, enable the hand to grasp and distinguish objects of various shapes as well as surface textures, rather than just detect touch.
- Build your own awesome, wearable mechanical hand that you operate with your own fingers.
- No motors, no batteries — just the power of air pressure, water, and your own hands!
- Hydraulic pistons enable the mechanical fingers to open and close and grip objects with enough force to lift them. Every finger joint can be adjusted...
We’re combining the strengths of both rigid and soft robotics to mimic the human hand. The human hand isn’t completely rigid or purely soft—it’s a hybrid system, with bones, soft joints, and tissue working together. That’s what we want our prosthetic hand to achieve. This is new territory for robotics and prosthetics, which haven’t fully embraced this hybrid technology before. It’s being able to give a firm handshake or pick up a soft object without fear of crushing it,” said Sriramana Sankar, a Johns Hopkins PhD student in biomedical engineering.
