SharpaWave

Existing industrial robot hands (grippers) are too simple to replace delicate human tasks (assembly, precision processes). Additionally, safety issues persist as people often work directly in hazardous environments (high heat, radiation, etc.).

SharpaWave has a similar size and structure to a human hand, with 22 degrees of freedom (DOF), enabling significantly more flexible movements compared to existing robot hands [82].

In particular, it has built-in mini cameras and over 1000 tactile sensor pixels at the end of each finger, allowing precise control of force down to 0.005N units using visual and tactile feedback when grasping objects [83]. This enables it to perform tasks almost identically to humans, from picking up eggs to using complex tools [84].

When deployed in hazardous environments, it improves safety and productivity by performing precise tasks instead of humans, and flexibly responds to the multi-product processes of factories. It is fundamentally different from existing robots in that it is the world's first human-level dynamic robot hand [85].

Manufacturers, logistics warehouses, and research institutions (B2B) use this hand by mounting it on robot platforms. In particular, industries with hazardous or delicate assembly processes (e.g., electronics manufacturing) can be early adopters.

Sharpa plans to mass-produce and supply this robot hand to various robot companies, which could impact the global industrial automation market. Ultimately, it can also be applied to service robot fields (cooking, nursing, etc.).

Although the current price is high, the application areas are expected to expand as the unit price decreases with increased production.

It is evaluated as a “new standard for robot hands” and was selected as a CES Robotics Innovation Award winner [86]. It has become a hot topic with its precision demonstrations (blackjack dealing, etc.) [86], and there are many positive views that call from global manufacturers are expected.

However, there are also realistic views that market adoption may be gradual, as there are issues to be resolved such as reliability, speed, and cost before actual industrial application.