Boston Dynamics four-fingered Atlas robot 13 degrees of movement has designed a new hand. The company explains that the Atlas robot’s previous seven-degree-of-motion hand focused on grasping objects, while the new one aims to guide them within the hand. The official whitepaper shows use cases ranging from pressure sensors in the fingertips and palm to a drill trigger. This change aims for the robot not only to carry parts in the factory, but also to work with tools designed for humans. Boston Dynamics expects the flexible grip will also make it easier to switch between different tasks on the production line. On the other hand, this goal determines the direction of the development work.
In the new hand, the thumb offers four degrees of movement and the other three fingers offer three degrees of movement each. Boston Dynamics says that with this distribution, the thumb can slide over other fingers and compress from different points. It also aims for the robot to grasp drills, grinding machines and similar tools and press the trigger. In the image published by the company, Atlas places a drill bit into the tool. This example solidifies that the hand was not developed only for lifting large items.
The absence of a fifth finger is a conscious engineering choice. Boston Dynamics explains that after evaluating the functional contribution of the little finger, it remained at four fingers. Additional fingers would mean three new actuators, more volume and more chances of failure. In contrast, the company states that the current setup is sufficient to turn the object in the hand, correct a slipping grip, and use the tool trigger. We see that the design aims to perform industrial tasks reliably rather than resembling the human hand.
Motors that directly move the joints of the hand reduce the delicate cables passing outside. In addition, Boston Dynamics measures small contact changes by placing intense pressure sensors on the palm with the fingertips. The size of the hand is close to that of a large human hand so that the robot can reach into human-sized workspaces. The company also reports that it aims to keep the new design close to the power of the previous hand. Thus, while increasing finger mobility, it tries to maintain durability suitable for heavy work.
Atlas will also use its new hand in virtual education
Boston Dynamics says that it simplified the mechanical layout in order to imitate the movements of the hand with high accuracy in the computer environment. This approach helps the robot first learn some movements in simulation and then transfer them to real hardware. Although the company’s first results give hope for this transfer, the article it published does not give a success rate in a specific task. Therefore, it is too early to say that the new hand can use all tools reliably. The statement separates the technical design it confirms today from the capabilities it aims for in the future.
The new hand is part of Atlas’ goal to do general-purpose work in factories. Boston Dynamics wants to develop a solution that adapts to objects in different positions, instead of special grippers that take a fixed part from the same point every time. On the other hand, the company defines the use of human tools as one of its top duties. The new finger arrangement, sensors and simulation studies on the robot’s hand serve this purpose; The company is not yet announcing the commercial use schedule for the new hand.