In this video, we introduce Rotograb, a robotic hand that merges the dexterity of human hands with the strength and efficiency of industrial grippers. Rotograb features a new rotating thumb mechanism, allowing for precision in-hand manipulation and power grasps while being adaptable. The robotic hand was developed by students during "Real World Robotics", a master course by the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich (see for details here: https://rwr.ethz.ch).

Learn how Rotograb’s tendon-actuated design, coupled with teleoperation and reinforcement learning, enables it to manipulate a wide range of objects—from delicate items like ping-pong balls to more robust tools like hand drills. The rotating thumb not only enlarges the workspace but also introduces a level of versatility rarely seen in robotic grippers.

Join us as we dive deep into how this hybrid robotic system challenges traditional industrial design paradigms, offering potential breakthroughs for both robotics research and practical applications.

This work will be presented at the IROS 2024 robotics conference.

📘 Paper: Rotograb: Combining Biomimetic Hands with Industrial Grippers using a Rotating Thumb
🔬 Authors: Arnaud Bersier, Matteo Leonforte, Alessio Vanetta, Sarah Lia Wotke, Andrea Nappi, Yifan Zhou, Sebastiano Oliani, Alexander Kübler, and Robert K. Katzschmann
📍 Institution: Soft Robotics Lab, ETH Zurich

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#Robotics #SoftRobotics #IndustrialGrippers #Teleoperation #ReinforcementLearning #ETHZurich