When your main job is disarming roadside bombs, it's probably a good thing if you're cheap - and happy to lose a few fingers.
Inexpensive, sensitive and capable of performing delicate manouveres, this new robotic hand? developed by Sandia National Laboratories of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is controlled by a human user wearing a rigged-up glove. It is covered in soft gel, giving it the same reliable grip as a human hand.
Robot hands developed previously have tended to be expensive, costing up to $250,000 each. Sandia say their hand will only cost around $10,000, and high-volume production could slash the cost even further.
One of the most unusual features of the Sandia Hand is that in an accident, the fingers are designed to fall off rather than break, and can easily be reattached. Alternatively, tools such as screwdrivers or lights can be attached in place of fingers.
The Hand's first job will be bomb disposal. Existing manipulators are relatively clumsy, and IEDs are often destroyed with explosive tools. The dexterity of the Sandia Hand should allow operators to disarm and dismantle bombs to preserve evidence.
The project was funded by the US Defense Advanced Researched Projects Agency and is part of an initiative to equip military robots with cheap, versatile, human-like hands. One goal is the ability to unzip a duffel bag full of clothing and find a concealed weapon inside; previous manipulators have had difficulty handling flexible materials. Another goal is clearing rubble in a search-and-rescue situation.
"Computers, calculators and cellphones became part of daily life and drastically changed how we do things when the price became affordable, " says Sandia's Philip Heermann. "This hand has the same potential."
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