Credit: Xiao Gao
Like something out of the Addams Family, scientists have created a detachable robotic hand that can crawl and grab objects. The design enables tasks such as retrieving objects beyond normal reach and performing multi-object handling, offering potential applications in industrial, service, and exploratory robotics.
The paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Robotic hands are often designed to mimic the human hand, which is considered highly dexterous. However, their asymmetric structure—allowing grasping from one side only—and limited reach can restrict capabiliti…
Credit: Xiao Gao
Like something out of the Addams Family, scientists have created a detachable robotic hand that can crawl and grab objects. The design enables tasks such as retrieving objects beyond normal reach and performing multi-object handling, offering potential applications in industrial, service, and exploratory robotics.
The paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Robotic hands are often designed to mimic the human hand, which is considered highly dexterous. However, their asymmetric structure—allowing grasping from one side only—and limited reach can restrict capabilities in certain tasks, such as grasping multiple objects at once or accessing confined spaces.
Credit: NPG Press
Researcher Xiao Gao and colleagues present two versions of a robotic hand: a five-fingered and a six-fingered design (with a palm of 16 cm in diameter), each of which has symmetrical architecture, enabling grasping from both sides. The hand can also detach from the arm-mounted base to crawl.
The authors show that the hand can retrieve up to three objects sequentially and reattach while maintaining a secure grasp on the objects. The hand can securely hold several types of everyday objects, including a cardboard tube, a rubber ball, a whiteboard marker, and a tin can. It can also replicate 33 human grasp types and hold objects weighing up to two kilograms.
Future research may explore potential applications for this technology, such as accessing and performing tasks in confined spaces.
Credit: NPG Press
More information: Xiao Gao, A detachable crawling robotic hand, Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67675-8. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67675-8
Provided by Australian Science Media Centre
Citation: Handy robot can crawl and pick up objects from multiple angles (2026, January 21) retrieved 21 January 2026 from https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-handy-robot-multiple-angles.html
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