IH2 Azzurra

The IH2 Azzurra from Prensilia in Pontedera, a spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, is a self-contained research hand of human size: five brushed DC motors and all electronics sit inside the hand, with tendons in Bowden sheaths reaching five fingers with eleven degrees of freedom, the ring and little fingers moving together. The gearing is non-backdrivable, so a grasp holds even when power is cut.

The hand weighs 640 g, measures 102 by 45 by 213 mm and produces 35 N in a cylindrical grasp and 7 N laterally; flexion or extension takes about one second, as does abduction. Embedded PID controllers for position, current and force run at 1 kHz, with ten preset grasps.

Sensing comprises five digital position sensors, five motor-current measurements, ten limit switches and, on request, four analogue tendon-tension sensors; there is no tactile skin. Communication uses RS-232, USB or Bluetooth, power is 9 V at 5 A peak.

Flanges for Universal Robots arms such as the UR5e, for the Franka Research 3 and for KUKA, plus an Ottobock quick-disconnect, are available to order. Prensilia says more than thirty research centres use the hand; the price is on request. Its lighter three-motor sibling is the Mia Hand.