Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed an articulated hand that can extend the reach of a robotic arm by detaching and crawling on its own to grab things. The research was recently presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) and reported in IEEE Spectrum magazine.

Due to the power and speed of robotic arms, they are often permanently attached to the floor or other structure for added stability, which limits their reach. The research, conducted at EPFL's Laboratory of Learning Algorithms and Systems (LASA), aimed to develop a bimodal manipulator with enhanced grasping capabilities, including occasionally independence from the attached robotic arm.


The hand can be detached and reattached to the robotic arm as needed

Robot hands are often designed with one goal in mind: to grab things. To develop a robotic hand that can both grab things and crawl on its own like the Adamski Thing, the researchers generated and refined a basic design using genetic algorithms (which rely on biological tricks like natural selection and evolution) and the MuJoCo physics simulator to test the practicality of the iterations.

Algorithms and simulations helped the researchers determine the optimal location and number of articulated fingers needed, which resulted in five, a layout similar to that of a human hand. The robotic hand also uses a magnetic connector at the wrist, allowing it to connect and detach autonomously from the arm.


The fingers of the robot hand can bend in both directions, so it can crawl, and when attached to a robotic arm, it can also grab two objects at the same time.

The fingers of this hand can bend in two directions, allowing it to lift objects with some of its fingers while the rest act as lower legs. This design also expands the uses of the hand when connected to a robotic arm. It can lift multiple objects simultaneously without having to twist the robotic arm to reposition unused fingers.

It also has much smaller hands than robots like Boston Dynamics' Spot, which can move freely on four legs. Spot has been upgraded with its own robotic arm and gripper, but with an articulated hand that can operate independently, it will be better able to explore or analyze areas that Spot can't squeeze into.