Hank, a pneumatic finger robot with a sophisticated sensory system
| Will be valuable in the fields of agricultural and logistics automation.
| After determining the location of the object and adjusting the position of your fingers, grasp the object.

Cambridge Consultants unveiled 'Hank', a robot that moves like a human finger, on the 21st.

Hank is a pneumatic finger robot with a sophisticated tactile and slip-sensing sensory system that allows it to mimic the human hand's ability to delicately grasp and hold objects using just the right amount of pressure.

Hank is expected to find value in agricultural and logistics automation, where handling small, irregularly sized, and fragile objects is challenging.

While logistics automation has made significant progress over the past decade, robots still fall short of the precision of human hands in picking individual items from large containers.

E-commerce giants are competing to deliver goods faster and cheaper, but they still require human contact.

Cambridge Consultants has given robots a sensory system similar to that of humans, allowing them to perceive objects, use appropriate force to grasp them, and adjust their movements or put the object down if it slips.

In logistics automationJointed robots used in various applications require complex 'grasping algorithms' and expensive sensor devices and visual sensors to accurately position the end effector (fingers) and grasp objects.

Hank can bend and apply force using robotic fingers controlled by pneumatic pressure, and each finger is individually controlled by tactile sensors.

Hank's fingers don't require millimeter-precise positioning to grasp an object; they simply reach out and touch the object, much like a human hand would.

Once you know the location of the object, you adjust the position of your fingers to match that location and then grab the object.

In particular, if you sense that an object is slipping, you can increase the force of your fingers and immediately recognize if an object falls.

Going a step further than conventional approaches that use grippers and suction devices to grasp objects, this approach significantly expands the types and number of objects that robots can grasp or package.

The inside of the silicone material of the Hank is hollow, with the newly applied sensors embedded in the finger-shaped silicone molding process, and an air chamber running through the center.

Hank's finger surface is flexible, food-safe, and wipeable. It was also developed to be replaceable at low cost even if damaged or worn out.

“The logistics industry has always had issues with staffing and shortages because it relies heavily on human labor for picking and packing,” said Bruce Ackman, business leader for Cambridge Consultants’ logistics practice. “Automating this part of the logistics chain has lagged behind large-scale automation.”

“Hank’s sensory system is a game changer for the logistics industry, enabling end-to-end fulfillment of object sorting tasks and automated orders,” he continued. “The sensory perception of tactile and slippery sensations generated by a single, low-cost sensor means Hank can bring efficiencies to large distribution centers.”