Convergence Accelerator Bio-Inspired Design Innovations: Bio-Inspired Design of Robotic and Prosthetic Hands for Use-Driven Dexterity

Robotic hands with human-like dexterity are urgently needed to address multiple challenges facing our nation and society, including enhancing productivity in manufacturing and improving quality of life. According to Deloitte, by 2028 labor shortages could jeopardize more than $450 billion of U.S. GDP in the manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, over 400,000 Americans live with upper limb loss, and more than 20 million people struggle with daily activities due to limited mobility. While automation has the potential to alleviate these pressures, current robotic solutions have not been effective. Robotic hands have yet to gain widespread adoption in factories, and upper limb prosthetics face the highest rates of abandonment of any assistive device. To address these challenges, this project brings together a diverse team of university, industry, and government participants to develop, pilot, and create sustainable pathways for robotic and prosthetic hands that are bio-inspired, feature all-over sensing and intelligent control, and are customized to the needs of the end-user. This project has four specific goals for impact: (A) ease labor shortages in a manner that benefits both manufacturers and employees, (B) prepare new learners for a future of work that includes dexterous robotics, (C) ensure that small and medium manufacturers have access to dexterous robot hands for high mix / low volume applications, and (D) enable individuals with disabilities to have greater independence to meet their personal goals. Research thrusts to achieve these goals emphasize (1) bioinspired sensors, skeleton, and skin designed for customizability, reliability, and manufacturability, (2) bioinspired fine control with intrinsic muscles for dexterity in a lightweight and compact package, and (3) a software pipeline for custom robot hand design for best end-user experience, performance, and reliability. Research thrusts are accompanied by development efforts, customer outreach, and educational activities to ensure that impact goals can be met with a sustainable solution. A hand that is humanlike and dexterous can enable people to do dangerous work from a safe, remote location or to provide expert assistance anywhere in the world. A robust solution to robot dexterity will see application in homes, workplaces, farms, helping individuals to age gracefully in place, small business owners manage labor shortages and upscale jobs to improve quality of life. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.