Robot 'Hands' Write without Fingers From: ScienceNOW - 10/25/2010 By: Kristen Minogue University of Chicago physicist Eric Brown has conducted detailed research on the use of grain sacks as a universal gripper for robots. Brown and colleagues use a thin rubber sack filled with coffee grains or small glass spheres, which contracts by 1 percent in volume when the hand comes in contact with an object. A small pipe sucks air from the sack, enabling the hand to mold to the shape of the object. The hand has some trouble grasping flat objects such as plastic discs, porous objects such as cotton balls, and anything bigger than half its size. However, researchers say the hand is very versatile and can pick up just about any shape, and unlike conventional robotic hands, does not require the manipulation of 20-odd joints with a computer. "This seems like a much better way to go," says Yale University physicist Corey O'Hern, who believes that making the sack stickier could solve the porous-object problem, but notes that his idea might make it hard to let go of objects. The researchers believe the technology would benefit amputees, as it would be easier to operate than current prosthetic hands on the market. Read the entire article at: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/10/robot-hands-write-without-finger.html Links: Ground coffee helps robot get a grip http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/26/3048480.htm?section=justin A Robot with Coffee-Filled Balloons for Hands is the Best Grabber Yet http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/coffee-filled-balloon-makes-best-robotic-gripper Balloon filled with ground coffee makes ideal robotic gripper, research shows http://news.uchicago.edu/news.php?asset_id=2140 Eric Brown http://home.uchicago.edu/~embrown/