Science: A new robotic hand that has no fingers is being developed by Eric Brown (University of Chicago) and colleagues, who published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When their handa rubber sack filled with coffee grains or small glass spheres, like a beanbagcomes in contact with an object, a pipe sucks air from the sack, causing it to contract and mold to the object’s shape. So far, the prototype has been able to perform such tasks as pouring water and using a pen. It holds great promise for amputees because it would be much easier to operate than the more complex prosthetic hands currently available.
