Up until now, robot hobbyists have had to make due with simple gripper mechanisms for hands, or try to come up with their own solution for hands with fingers.  Not any more.  Crafthouse’s beautiful miniature 5-digit robot hands are available for purchase now, but they don’t come cheap.  A pair will set you back a budget-bustin’ 180,000 JPY ($1935 USD) – more than the price of the humanoid robot kits themselves.  Made by hand, it’ll take at least a month for your order to be filled.  They also warn that due to their intricate parts and construction, they’re easily damaged when the robot falls on them, so buyer beware.  Price and fragility aside, I have to admit they look unbelievably awesome.  See for yourself in the video below.

But wait, Crafthouse has built a different set of 5-digit robot hands called Melissa Hand Type-1, and a pair will only cost 60,000 JPY ($645 USD).  They’re a bit bigger, so they’d be perfect for a robot that’s about 50cm tall.  They’re also stronger, but Crafthouse still warns against using them during Robo-One battles.  Replacement digits are 5,000 JPY ($53 USD) apiece.

Both hands come pre-assembled and utilize one Kondo KRS-4014SHV servo (sold separately) to simultaneously control all 5 fingers in an open-close grasping motion. Being that Crafthouse’s Melissa humanoid is the Ferrari of hobby kits (using only the most powerful and expensive Kondo servos) something tells me the owners will be more than prepared to dole out the cash for these hands.

[source: K. Moriyama's diary]

• Crafthouse Shop (JP)
• GOD HAND / Melissa Hand @ Impress Robot Watch (JP)

Videos:
GOD HAND:

Melissa Hand Type-1:

Media:

Image Credits:
Crafthouse | Impress Robot Watch

Related posts:

1. ･Robovie-nano
2. Assembling the Robovie-nano
3. Hardworking Hobbyist’s Robotic Hands
4. ･Himeji Softworks announce JO-ZERO, STD-ZERO