Scientists Built a Robot Hand That Can Do What Humans Do With Their Hands

The human hand is one of nature’s most remarkable machines. It can pinch a tiny object, twist a bottle cap, hold tools, grasp objects of different sizes and perform delicate movements with impressive precision. For decades, scientists and engineers have tried to reproduce these abilities in robots by copying the complex structure of the human hand.

But copying nature does not always mean copying its anatomy.

A new robotic system called BioflexBot takes a different approach. Instead of recreating the bones, joints, muscles and tendons of a human hand, researchers designed a simpler machine that focuses on reproducing the hand’s most important functions. The result is a flexible robot that can perform several human-like movements while also offering greater reach and a much simpler design.

The research, published in Advanced Science, could point toward a new generation of low-cost, highly capable robotic systems.

A Robot Designed for Function, Not Appearance

Traditional robotic hands often contain many mechanical parts and motors to imitate the structure of the human hand. While these systems can be highly capable, they can also be expensive, difficult to control and complicated to maintain.

The BioflexBot follows a completely different philosophy.

Rather than copying the appearance of a human hand, the researchers focused on its fundamental movements. The robot uses a coiled spring, a constraining shell and a basic pneumatic system. Compressed air provides the force needed to create mechanical movement.

Despite its simple construction, the robot can perform four important actions: pinching, rotating, hooking and grasping. Remarkably, these movements can be controlled using only two pneumatic inputs.

This simplified design reduces the need for complicated hardware and control systems while still providing a surprisingly broad range of movement.

Putting the Robot Through Its Paces

The researchers tested whether the BioflexBot could reproduce essential hand movements in practical situations.

For delicate pinching tasks, the robot successfully manipulated an acupuncture needle. It also used a pipette to reliably transport liquid. These demonstrations are important because they show that the robot is not limited to handling large or heavy objects. It can also perform precise movements that could be useful in laboratories, health care and other sensitive environments.

The robot also demonstrated impressive rotational ability. In one test, it rotated a bottle cap nearly four times as much as a human hand can.

Its hooking ability was tested using everyday objects, including a toolbox and goggles. The BioflexBot was able to securely hook these objects, demonstrating that its flexibility can be useful for more than conventional gripping.

The researchers further tested its grasping ability with objects of different sizes. The system was able to handle objects nearly 13 times larger than those managed by similar robotic systems.

These results suggest that a relatively simple mechanism can achieve a surprisingly high level of dexterity.

More Than a Human-Like Hand

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the BioflexBot is that it does not simply copy human abilities. In some areas, it can go beyond them.

The robot can extend and contract 3.5 times as much as a human hand. This extra range gives it capabilities that conventional robotic hands may struggle to provide.

For example, a longer reach could allow the robot to grasp objects located far away, reach into narrow or confined spaces and transport several objects one after another. It could also be useful when a robotic system needs to work around obstacles or access areas that are difficult for a conventional hand to reach.

This combination of flexibility, reach and simple control could make the BioflexBot particularly valuable for machines that need to work in complex environments.

Potential Applications Across Industries

The researchers demonstrated three possible applications for the new robotic system.

One involved inspecting aeroengine blades. Such inspections can require machines to reach into difficult spaces and manipulate components carefully. A flexible robotic mechanism with extended reach could make these tasks easier and more efficient.

A second demonstration involved integrating the BioflexBot with a humanoid robot to perform everyday tasks. This suggests that the technology could eventually become an alternative to conventional robotic hands used in service and domestic robots.

The third application was a chemistry experiment. The robot’s ability to manipulate laboratory equipment and liquids highlights its potential for scientific research and automated laboratory work.

These examples represent only a small selection of possible uses. Similar technology could eventually find applications in manufacturing, inspection, laboratory automation, logistics, health care and other fields where flexible manipulation is important.

The Power of Simplicity

One of the most important lessons from the BioflexBot is that advanced robotic performance does not always require extremely complicated hardware.

The researchers used what can be described as structural and physical intelligence. Instead of relying entirely on sophisticated electronic control, some of the robot’s abilities come directly from its mechanical structure.

This approach can reduce the number of components and simplify operation. It may also lower manufacturing costs, making advanced robotic manipulation more accessible.

Senior author Yingtian Li, Ph.D., of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, explained that the researchers wanted to use structural and physical intelligence to create a simple system capable of handling objects across different sizes while performing complex, human-like manipulation.

Senior author Yang Yang, Ph.D., of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, emphasized the key difference between this approach and traditional robotic hands: the BioflexBot focuses on mimicking human functions rather than copying the human form.

That distinction could be important for the future of robotics.

What Comes Next?

The current BioflexBot is a prototype, and more work is needed before the technology becomes a fully automated robotic platform.

Future development will focus on automation and improving the system so that it can operate independently in real-world environments. Researchers will also need to determine how reliably it can perform over long periods and how well it can adapt to different tasks and surroundings.

Still, the early results are promising.

The BioflexBot demonstrates that robotic dexterity can be achieved without reproducing every detail of the human hand. By concentrating on essential movements and using a simple pneumatic mechanism, researchers have created a system that is flexible, precise and capable of handling objects across a wide range of sizes.

A New Direction for Robotic Hands

The BioflexBot represents a shift in how engineers think about robotic hands. Instead of asking, “How can we build a robotic hand that looks and works exactly like a human hand?” researchers are asking a more practical question: “What is the simplest machine that can perform the important functions of a human hand?”

That change in thinking could lead to robots that are cheaper, easier to control and more adaptable.

The human hand may remain one of nature’s most sophisticated designs, but robotics does not necessarily need to copy every part of it. The BioflexBot shows that sometimes, achieving the right function with a simpler design may be more powerful than attempting to recreate nature piece by piece.

If future versions can combine its current flexibility and extended reach with full automation, the BioflexBot could become an important step toward simpler, smarter and more capable robots.

Reference: X. Tong, T. Zhang, F. Mo, et al. “ A Bio-Functional Mimetic Robot for Versatile Tasks From Cross-Scale Manipulation to Limb-Tool Integration.” Advanced Science (2026): e76527. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.76527