Foundation Robotics has released a video of its newest robotic hand cleanly catching a baseball in mid-flight. The San Francisco company designed the hand with motors placed in the forearm rather than the fingers. Flexible tendons run from those motors to each joint, keeping the fingers slim and light while still delivering fast, precise force. Separate tendons handle closing and opening, and a side-to-side mechanism lets the fingers form a cupped shape for round objects or a tighter pinch for edges. Software estimates finger positions from motor data and a model of the tendon geometry, so the hand keeps working even if some sensors drop out. Tunnel magnetoresistance sensors at each joint refine those estimates to sub-degree accuracy. Low-friction tendon paths help the fingers close quickly and absorb impact without dropping the ball. The hand is built for the firm's Phantom humanoid robots and aims at industrial work that needs more dexterity than simple grippers.
Foundation Robotics has released a video of its newest robotic hand cleanly catching a baseball in mid-flight. The San Francisco company designed the hand with motors placed in the forearm rather than the fingers. Flexible tendons run from those motors to each joint, keeping the fingers slim and light while still delivering fast, precise force. Separate tendons handle closing and opening, and a side-to-side mechanism lets the fingers form a cupped shape for round objects or a tighter pinch for edges. Software estimates finger positions from motor data and a model of the tendon geometry, so the hand keeps working even if some sensors drop out. Tunnel magnetoresistance sensors at each joint refine those estimates to sub-degree accuracy. Low-friction tendon paths help the fingers close quickly and absorb impact without dropping the ball. The hand is built for the firm's Phantom humanoid robots and aims at industrial work that needs more dexterity than simple grippers.