Robotic hand gets to grips with assembly line jobs

Engineers have developed a two-fingered robotic hand that can alter the firmness of its grip, an advance that could be a valuable asset for human-robot partnership in manufacturing.

The design of the robotic hand from the University at Buffalo, New York, enables it to absorb energy from impacts during collisions, which prevents whatever the robot is holding from breaking. It also makes it safer for people to work with and near the machines, the team said.

Such grippers could be employed on assembly lines in the automotive, electronic packaging and other industries, said Ehsan Esfahani, PhD, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Robotics experts team to create human-like hands

Robotic hand gets a grip on objects

"Our robotic gripper mimics the human hand's ability to adjust the stiffness of the grip. These grippers are designed for collaborative robots that work together with people," Esfahani said in a statement. "They're going to be helpers, so they need to be safe, and variable stiffness grippers help to achieve that goal."