Boston Dynamics Unveils a Four-Fingered, Highly Articulated Hand for the Atlas Robot

Introducing Atlas’s Advanced Four-Fingered Hand

According to НВ — Техно: Boston Dynamics has engineered a sophisticated new four-fingered hand for its humanoid robot Atlas, featuring 13 degrees of freedom. Designed for intricate manipulation and tool handling, this hand significantly enhances Atlas’s ability to perform complex physical tasks. It includes an opposable thumb and three additional fingers, delivering improved dexterity, strength, and tactile sensing. The design is optimized for AI-driven learning, boosting its performance in real-world scenarios.

Each of the three fingers offers three degrees of freedom, while the thumb provides four, with the overall hand size comparable to a large human palm. Atlas can instantly support payloads up to 50 kg and sustain loads up to 30 kg over time. Demonstrating its impressive lifting capability, the new hand can handle objects like a mini-fridge weighing over 45 kg. The choice to exclude a fifth finger was based on task analysis and design optimization.

Cutting-Edge Features of the New Hand

The hand is equipped with dense pressure-sensitive tactile sensors located on the fingertips and palm. Its joints incorporate backdrivability, allowing smooth movement under external forces without resistance from rigid mechanisms. The hand’s architecture is tailored for high-precision simulation and reinforcement learning that bridges virtual and physical environments. It supports various grip styles including:

• Pinch grip
• Tripod grip for holding tripods
• Independent thumb movement across other fingers

This advanced manipulation capability enables Atlas to operate a wide range of tools, such as:

• Drills
• Grinders
• Nail guns
• Torque wrenches
• Welding torches

Separately, ETH Zurich researchers have developed an autonomous robotic hand inspired by the character Thing from "The Addams Family," capable of locomotion using its fingers, pressing buttons, moving small objects, and self-righting after falls. These breakthroughs highlight the expanding potential of robotic technology across diverse applications.

Advancements like the new Atlas hand represent a significant leap forward in robotics, poised to transform automation in industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare and everyday life. Robots equipped with such sophisticated manipulation skills open new possibilities for improving efficiency and safety in various professional environments.

In a related development, researchers at ETH Zurich have created an autonomous robotic hand that draws inspiration from the iconic character Thing from the Addams Family. This innovative design showcases advanced mobility and manipulation capabilities, which complement the technological strides made by Boston Dynamics with the Atlas robot. To learn more about this fascinating project and its implications for robotics, visit ETH Zurich's autonomous robotic hand.