EPFL researchers focus on making robot grasping more human-like through compliant materials, as demonstrated by the ADAPT hand. This hand utilizes silicone and spring-loaded joints, enabling it to automatically adjust its grip. In experiments, the ADAPT hand successfully picked up 24 objects with a 93% success rate. Unlike traditional robots requiring a motor for each joint, it operates with only 12 motors for 20 joints, using compliance to facilitate varied grasping techniques. The findings indicate potential advancements in robotic dexterity and usability in diverse environments, resembling human grasping capabilities.
In robotics, compliant materials are those that deform, bend, and squish. This compliance allows various objects to be picked up using self-organized grasps.
We believe that's because of the compliant -- or soft -- interactions that happen at the interface between an object and a human hand.
The ADAPT hand was able to pick up 24 objects with a success rate of 93%, using grasps that mimicked natural human movement.
What we are interested in exploring for robots is the strategic use of compliance to simulate human-like dexterity during grasping.
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