Robotic device gives users extra fingers

A robotic device developed at MIT mimics the movements of a users hand, essentially giving them two extra fingers. The wrist-worn device uses sensors to measure the position and movements of the users fingers, and custom software moves the extra ‘fingers’ in sync. The team says they think it can be shrunk down to one third of its current size, and make it foldable. "We could make this into a watch or a bracelet where the fingers pop up, and when the job is done, they come back into the watch.“

"Every day, we use various tools, say a knife and fork and we drive a car and, if we use these tools for a long time, you see that those tools are just an extension of your body,” said Harry Asada, the Ford Prof of Engineering in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

“That is exactly what we would like to do with robotics, you have extra fingers and extra arms. If you have control and can communicate with them very well, you feel that they are just an extension of your body,”