DOMESTICALLY DEVELOPED ROBOTIC HAND

[Anchor Lead]

Korean researchers have developed a robotic hand that can move as subtly as human hands. It can also use small tools such as scissors and other daily items. Let’s take a look.

[Pkg]

This robotic hand is the size of a human hand. It can play the piano by moving the fingers dexterously. It can also skillfully cut paper with scissors and move eggs without breaking them. Such exquisite movements are possible thanks to tactile sensors and 12 miniature motors attached to the fingertips, the knuckles and the palm. When the hand grabs an object, the sensors automatically identify its properties, while the motors manipulate the knuckles.

[Soundbite] DO HYUN-MIN(RESEARCHER, KOREA INSTITUTE OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS) : "We made it as small as a human hand using our unique mechanism. The key point of our technology is that this robotic hand can move its fingers as subtly as human hands."

This robotic hand has all running gears built inside and can be easily attached o other robots without changing its structure.

[Soundbite] KIM UI-KYUM(SENIOR RESEARCHER, KOREA INSTITUTE OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS) : "Despite its small size, it has all the motors and other components built inside. It is very easy to attach to robots' arms."

The development of a more subtle and smaller robotic hand is expected to pave the way for the commercialization of robots for household use.