While easy for humans, grasping objects of different sizes, shapes and textures has posed a problem for robots.
The new soft, 3D-printed robotic hand cannot independently move its fingers but can still carry out a range of complex movements. It 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 said. The adaptable design is envisaged to 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.
In the natural world, movement results from the interplay between the brain and the body. This enables people and animals to move in complex ways without expending unnecessary amounts of energy.
Over the past several years, soft...