Boston Dynamics dropped the pinky from its robot's new hand after its team taped their own fingers together for a day
The new hand for the Atlas humanoid robot has four fingers, touch sensors and enough grip to use drills and nail guns.
Boston Dynamics makes Atlas, a robot shaped like a person. On Thursday, the company showed a new hand for it. The surprise is what is missing. The hand has four fingers, not five.
The team argued about the pinky for a long time. Then the company's technology chief, Zack, asked the team to tape their pinky and ring finger together for a day. They had to report back on what they could not do. In the end, they agreed: no pinky. The company says an extra finger would mean more motors, more cost, more space and more things that can break.
The new hand can move in 13 separate ways. The old one moved in seven. The thumb now works more like a human thumb, and it can pinch with any other finger. Pressure sensors cover the fingertips and palm, so the robot can feel light touches.
The hand is about the size of a large human hand. Boston Dynamics says it is strong enough to carry a loaded minifridge of 100 pounds or more. It is also built to hold tools and press their triggers, like drills, grinders, nail guns and welding torches.
The company trains these skills in a computer simulation first, a kind of video game world for robots. Then it moves them to the real hand. It calls its first results promising.
Why does it matter? Boston Dynamics says most hand work that is still done by people needs skills like using tools or handling cables. That is the work this hand is aimed at.
Open it and check the claim yourself. That is the point.