Three-finger gripper: Atlas robot grips more efficiently with rotating thumb
Boston Dynamics has developed a robust, efficient gripper for its humanoid robot Atlas. A rotatable thumb allows for many grip variants.
(Image: Boston Dynamics/Screenshot)
The robotics company Boston Dynamics has given its humanoid robot Atlas a three-fingered gripper that covers a large part of the functional range of a five-fingered robotic hand. This is possible because the engineers have integrated a swiveling thumb. The gripper also has tactile sensors in the fingertips and cameras integrated into the palm.
Recreating a human hand with five fingers for a robot is complex, and its control is time-consuming. For most of the work that humanoid robots are supposed to carry out, not all the characteristics of a human hand are required anyway. In addition, the cost of such a robotic hand increases significantly with the number of fingers. The engineers at Boston Dynamics have therefore considered how such a hand can be simplified without significantly impairing its range of functions.
Efficient gripping with two fingers and a rotating thumb
The result is a gripper with three fingers. According to Boston Dynamics, three fingers are the minimum required to perform more complex tasks, such as applying different grip variants. To be more precise, the gripper comprises two fingers and a rotating thumb that can also be swiveled. This allows for more extensive types of grips than with a gripper without a rotating thumb. It also makes it easier to create a more robust and efficient gripper for industrial applications. But it's not quite that simple: “We have to fit a lot of drives and sensors into a very small space, which is a major design challenge,” says Alberto Rodriguez, Director of Robot Behavior at Boston Dynamics.
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The gripper has a total of seven degrees of freedom. Accordingly, seven actuators ensure the mobility of the fingers and thumb: two actuators per finger and thumb and an additional one to be able to rotate the thumb. Tactile sensors are also incorporated into the fingertips to provide feedback on how firmly the gripper needs to grip.
The gripper should put as little strain as possible on the object when gripping and only exert enough force to prevent it from falling out of the hand. Cameras in the palms of the hands support the sensitive handling of objects. This enables the gripper to handle even delicate objects with precision. However, the gripper is not suitable for all fine motorized work.
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The gripper can therefore perform various different grips without the need for a five-fingered robotic hand. “Over the last year, we have realized that we can grip almost anything we throw at it,” says Rodriguez.
(olb)
