Boston Dynamics has introduced a new hand for its advanced robot Atlas. A recent video showcases its new capabilities, including operating a drill. Although the demonstration was conducted with the assistance of a remote operator, it aims to illustrate what will be achievable in the near future. Currently, Boston Dynamics is also exploring ways to enable Atlas to truly learn independently rather than being trained. Atlas can now autonomously use the new hands. Boston Dynamics demonstrates this by showing Atlas holding two golf balls in one hand, accomplishing this even without a pinky finger. According to the company, an additional finger would not justify the complications it would bring nor the increased energy consumption, hence the design with just a thumb and three extra fingers. The complexity has reached a level comparable to a separate mini-robot.
Engineer Dylan Thrush from Boston Dynamics states that the upgraded hands of Atlas now provide 13 degrees of freedom, compared to the previous 7. Since the company plans to use Atlas in car assembly, these additional degrees of freedom are likely to be beneficial. The new hand is slightly larger and stronger than a typical human hand. Boston Dynamics also hopes that the increased flexibility of the new hand will help it avoid movements that could damage its mechanical parts.
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