Dec 30 2010
Shadow Robots has developed a robot hand made with motors, hi-tech materials and sensors. This is the most advanced robot hand of the world, which is expected to be commercialized in a couple of years.
NASA was impressed by the robot hand developed by the company and had bought one. NASA had bought the hand to see how it has been made. To make one Shadow Robots’ hand, it takes three months from machining to building. Each robot hand weighs 4 kg.
With its motors and air muscles, the hand robot can also participate in the world arm-wrestling championship. The hand features 40 air muscles that are tiny rubber tubes covered inside a plastic mesh. The rubber tubes contract a tendon when they are inflated. With tactile sensors, the robot hand can tickle gently under a person’s chin, search for an object through sand, or handle an egg.
Rich Walker, Technical Director of Shadow Robots, stated that if any robot is going to work in the world, it has to handle things the way human handle. Hence, hands are very important for a robot, he noted.
Source: http://www.shadowrobot.com/