PSYONIC partners with ABB Robotics to apply human touch to robot dexterity
ABB Robotics and PSYONIC are collaborating to improve robotic dexterity by integrating real-world human touch and motion data from PSYONIC’s FDA-approved Ability Hand prosthetic into ABB’s GoFa robot. The partnership aims to advance physical AI and autonomous robotic manipulation for dynamic industrial tasks, leveraging data from over 300 prosthetic users to refine robotic handling of irregular objects.
ABB Robotics LLC announced a partnership with PSYONIC to enhance robotic dexterity by applying human touch and motion data from prosthetic users. The collaboration combines ABB’s GoFa force- and power-limited robot with PSYONIC’s Ability Hand, a lightweight, multi-articulating prosthetic gripper featuring myoelectric control, touch sensing, and compliant mechanics. This integration supports ABB’s goal of creating Autonomous Versatile Robotics (AVR), where robots sense, reason, and handle objects in dynamic environments. PSYONIC’s Ability Hand, originally developed for prosthetics, includes pressure sensors and vibration feedback to enable precise grip control for irregular objects like clothing. The hand is FDA-approved, used by over 300 patients, and covered by Medicare in the U.S. Dr. Adeel Akhtar, PSYONIC’s founder and CEO, noted that the prosthetic’s design—optimized for robustness, consistency, and tactile feedback—aligns with industrial needs for high-mix, low-volume tasks such as pick-and-place operations. The partnership leverages real-world data from prosthetic users to train robotic systems, addressing the challenge of replicating human dexterity in industrial automation. Akhtar emphasized that dexterous manipulation relies as much on high-fidelity data as hardware, allowing robots to learn from human interactions. This approach could eliminate limitations of traditional grippers, like suction or parallel jaw tools, which require tool changers and maintenance. ABB Robotics, sold to SoftBank for $5.3 billion in October 2025, aims to bridge the gap between human and robotic dexterity through physical AI. Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics, stated that the collaboration will help robots learn and adapt like humans, unlocking new applications across industries. PSYONIC plans to provide a full technology stack, from data capture to robotic training, to improve automation in tasks like stocking shelves or handling deformable objects.
This content was automatically generated and/or translated by AI. It may contain inaccuracies. Please refer to the original sources for verification.