If "making a better mousetrap" isn't on the mind of engineers, we will never see innovation. This is a perfect example. Robert Howe and his team from Harvard's BioRobotics laboratory have been working on a different approach to a robotic hand. Their creation, which they call the Shape Deposit Manufacturing (SDM) hand, can easily adapt to different shapes of an object and yet is remarkably durable. Unlike many robot hands that use multiple motors and imaging techniques to sense an object and calculate how to pick it up, the SDM hand uses one motor and a brilliant pulley system.
The pulley system allows the fingers to exert an equal force individually onto each surface it comes into contact with. In addition, the surface does not have to be symmetrical as the pulley's allow fingers to keep contracting when one finger is stopped by a surface. The technology used to create the robotic fingers also make it durable and waterproof. The manufacturing technique developed from Stanford University allows the electronics to be embedded into the plastic and handle some hard hits without damaging the hardware.
Harvard's new approach to the robotic hand can lead to a much less expensive and more reliable way to create robotic parts. The applications being considered for this device consist mainly of helping the elderly and disabled but may find some use in the home office. Their creation could possibly inspire others to build robots similar to this one saving them money and making them more durable to outside forces. Though the "arm box" may not be as discrete for people who may use it, future versions will surpass even the most elegant solution today.
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