News
Barrett Technology, Inc. announced today the conclusion of a license agreement with Harvard University under which it has acquired exclusive rights to a novel polymer-based robotic-hand technology, known in the literature as the SDM Hand.
This robotic grasper was developed by Robert D. Howe, Gordon McKay Professor of Engineering at Harvard University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Aaron Dollar, a former member of Dr. Howe's lab and currently an Assistant Professor at Yale's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
The robotic hand has fingers with flexible joints, which allow it to easily conform to objects and grip them solidly without exerting excessive force. These special joints also enable the hand to grasp objects that vary widely in size, shape and mass, and to overcome positioning errors, in which the object is not optimally placed for being grasped. Also, the hand is robust and capable of withstanding large impacts without damage.
Barrett expects the first production units to be available by 2011.
Topics: Robotics
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Robert D. Howe
Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Engineering
