Matching the dexterity of the human hand in a robotic device is vital in military and civilian applications to assist or replace human hands. Use of dexterous robotic hands in high-risk situations, such as defusing a bomb, keeps people out of harm’s way. In everyday life, these devices could help overcome limitations or extend capabilities to perform repetitive, or challenging tasks.

DARPA’s four-year, multi-track Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program is developing software and hardware to enable a robot to autonomously perform complicated tasks with high-level supervision. SRI is designing the ARM-H robotic hand, the first in a new generation of low-cost dexterous robotic manipulators. SRI contributions include:

• Novel design that allows for mass production at relatively low cost
• Inexpensive back-drivable transmission
• Under-actuated fingers with selective joint stiffening, yielding high efficiency and flexibility
• Variable-friction skin
• Robust design for field use

This approach offers the following cost and performance advantages:

• Wider variety of grasps compared to current designs, with a potential 90 percent cost savings through volume production
• Scalability to larger and smaller manipulators
• Gripping force of 10 pounds; payload of 50 pounds
• Complex grasping, including wrapping around objects and precision grasping with fingertips
• Easy maintenance with field-replaceable parts

This solution should assist in handling everyday objects, which is still a challenging task in robotics. Military applications are an attractive early use due to the safety it can affordably provide for soldiers in theater.