Six-Fingered Robot Hand Crawls and Grasps Like Never Before

A robotic hand that moves like the beloved Thing from The Addams Family is rewriting what's possible in engineering.

Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne built a mechanical hand that breaks every rule. Unlike human hands limited by an attached arm and fingers that bend one way, this creation detaches, scurries around on its digits, and grasps objects from both sides at once.

The team used machine learning to design the perfect blueprint, then built the robot using silicone, electric motors, and 3D-printed parts. The hand can accommodate up to six fingers, though tests showed five fingers hit the sweet spot for balance and function.

In demonstrations, the robot held a mustard bottle on one side while bending its remaining fingers backward to pick up a can of chips on the other. It can carry objects weighing up to 4.5 pounds and shuffle across surfaces using its fingers as legs.

Study co-author Aude Billard says she's dreamed for years of creating a hand that departs from the typical human design. "It's allowing people to think out of the box, to rethink what it is to have a hand or finger," she explains.

The real-world applications could transform how we solve everyday problems. Co-author Xiao Gao envisions the hand crawling into water pipes or submarine engine rooms to retrieve dropped objects that would otherwise require expensive repairs or risky human intervention.

With more research, the team believes the robotic hand could even function as an advanced prosthetic. The design's flexibility opens doors for people who need assistance in ways traditional prosthetics can't provide.

Why This Inspires

This robot represents something bigger than clever engineering. By refusing to simply copy human anatomy, these scientists showed us that our limitations don't have to define what's possible.

Their willingness to imagine a hand unbound by biology could lead to prosthetics that give users abilities beyond what they lost. It's a reminder that innovation happens when we stop asking "how do we replicate what exists?" and start asking "what if we could do better?"

Matei Ciocarlie, a mechanical engineer at Columbia University, calls it "a beautiful example of what you can achieve if you approach robotic design without being weighed down by all the constraints of the human factor."

The robot does have limitations—it may not apply the same pressure as human fingers, and researchers haven't yet shown it manipulating objects with fine precision. But Billard sees these challenges as opportunities for the next breakthrough.

Science moves forward when someone dares to imagine differently.