Dr. Honghai Liu, one of the two researchers heading up a project to craft an exceptionally deft robotic hand, has called such a device "one of the holy grails of science," and honestly, we can't say we disagree. He, along with Professor Xiangyang Zhu, was recently award a Royal Society grant to further research the possibility of using artificial intelligence to create software that could "learn and copy human hand movements." A sensor-laden cyberglove has been used to capture data about how the human hand moves, and the duo hopes to eventually use the findings to produce the "perfect artificial limb." Of course, there's no telling how long it'll take for such technology to actually be perfected, but we can already see the line forming with folks eager to swap out their own hand for one a bit more adept.

[Via The Raw Feed]

It looks like robot hands have taken yet another step into human-like territory, with a team of researchers at John's Hopkins University recently demonstrating a new neural interface that allows an artificial hand to be used to play the piano. But that's not all! In true mad scientist fashion, to actually control the hand, the researchers relied on neural activity recorded from a monkey's brain. According to MIT's Technology Review, that resulted in the fingers on the hand performing their intended movement about 95 percent of the time. While the system doesn't currently work in real time, the researchers are reportedly planning a live demonstration with a monkey within the next six months. Apparently foreseeing a potential monkey-machine rampage, however, the researchers have wisely decided to only let the monkey control a virtual version of a prosthetic arm.

Remember that creepy robotic hand we saw terrorizing Japan last week? Well now it's on the loose in some conference room picking up eggs, shaking hands, holding a pencil and crushing a cup with its super action Kung Fu Grip. No video of it crushing skulls but we know what's really going on, we know. Its purpose still isn't any clearer (manufacturing-only or also prosthetics?), only that its functionality is meant to exceed that of the human hand. See just one of many videos after the break.

Gulp. Meet the 5-finger, robotic hand. We don't know much about it, and quite honestly, we're resisting our every urge to cower in the darkness of our thumb-sucking fear. The flimsy premise seems to be that robotic hands will one day be required to replace the aging work force since so many manufacturing processes have been designed around the dexterity of the human hand. Still, why the uncanny likeness Japan? How about a nice shade of gunmetal grey?

Joining the arm, eye, ear, and dolphin (saywha?), the latest bionic creation to come from the doors of the Tokyo Institute of Technology boasts some 33-pounds of crushing power, which could make the Power Glove look a bit weak in comparison. Touted as the "world's first electromechanical prosthetic hand with a grip strong enough to crush an empty beverage can," the creation reportedly weighs a hair over 300-grams and features about half the strength found in the average male hand, but it can extend and flex its fingers in around one second, making sure that the wearer is still a formidible opponent in thumb wars. Unlike similar iterations, however, this rendition utilizes a system of pulleyed cables that run through the fingers, and if all goes as planned, eventual wearers will be able to control the machine by flexing other muscles via "myoelectric control technology." Click on through for a video demonstration.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

It looks like the ability to grab a can of beans wasn't enough to satisfy those mad scientists at the University of Southampton, who promptly went back to work in the lab to create an even more dexterous and sensitive robotic hand, one that'll let its human controller (or eventual autonomous robot overlord) pick up delicate objects without having to worry about breaking or dropping them. The big advance here, as New Scientist reports, is a set of pressure sensors fitted onto each fingertip that automatically determine the correct amount of pressure to apply, as well as set of so-called "slip-detectors," which can detect even slight amounts of slippage and correct the grip before the object falls crashing to the floor. Eventually, the researchers hope amputees will be able to take advantage of the hand, even linking it directly to their brain. It the meantime, however, 'ol Grippy here will likely continue to defend its undefeated streak in the sport of nerd-machine arm wrestling.

The dynamic mad scientist duo of Yen-Wen Lu and Chang-Jin "CJ" Kim at UCLA's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department have reportedly developed the world's smallest robotic hand, measuring just about a millimeter across the fist -- thankfully, small enough not to crush either one of them during testing. The hand's made up of tiny silicon microfingers with polymer-balloon joints, which can be inflated and deflated to open and close with the utmost delicacy. The use of pneumatic operation, as opposed to electrical, also allows the hand to be operated in a wider range of environments, including liquid -- like snapping up a single fish egg in the pic at the right. Robot hands are one thing, but sooner or later you can bet that it'll be attached to a tiny robot body and sent on a not-so-Fantastic Voyage into someone's intestines.

[Via Slashdot]