Five-Fingered Robot Gets a Grip

Intricate tasks that require dexterous in-hand manipulation — rolling, pivoting, bending, and sensing friction — are a challenge for today's robots. A University of Washington team of computer scientists and engineers has built a robotic hand that performs dexterous manipulation and "learns" from its own experience. The five-fingered robot, for example, can spin a tube full of coffee beans without needing human direction.