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Technology

Wooden robot hand can lift objects and withstand high temperatures

Robot grippers made from soft plastics will melt in the heat, but a wooden alternative can do the job just fine

By Alex Wilkins

4 March 2023

Robot hand

The fingers of this robot hand are made from wood

Swee Ching Tan

A robot hand made from wood could be used in extremely hot environments while still maintaining a delicate touch.

Most robotic hand grippers are made from soft plastics, which can pick up objects without damaging them but melt at high temperatures, or from metals with many moving parts, which are stiff and complex to operate.

Now, at the National University of Singapore and his colleagues have developed wooden grippers made from 0.5 millimetre-thick pieces of Canadian maple, which clasp tighter as they warm…

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