Robotic hand developed for both space missions on the International Space Station and commercial applications on the ground

It is readily apparent that a more dexterous and practical robot hand will be needed both in space and for commercial applications. However, although robots can succeed in many fields, highly advanced robotic hand have not been used. In our laboratory, robot hands that are useful for both in space and in commercial use are developed. The robot hand for space is designated as the REXJ Hand. It has been developed by remodeling another robot hand designed for ground use. The REXJ Hand will be launched to the International Space Station in 2011 as a part of the REXJ Project. Remodeling of a normal robot hand to a space robot hand is described herein.