The latest robot creation is rooted in human anatomy. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne have developed a robotic hand with a broader range of motion than anything made of flesh and blood: It can detach from an arm and skitter around, bend its fingers backward and even pick up and maneuver multiple objects at a time.
The detachable robotic hand, described in an article published Tuesday in Nature Communications, was developed in two phases. The first version of the robot had five fingers and exhibited dexterity and agility comparable to the human hand while still navigating confined spaces.
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The second version of the robot utilized a sixth finger to further manipulate grasped objects. The six-fingered robot was able to pinch and lift a small ball and use its fingers to simultaneously hold objects against both sides of its palm. When attached to an arm, the hand can pick up larger objects the same way a human would.
