What is Boston Dynamics Atlas GR3 dexterous hand?

A robot arm ends in a robot hand, the part that actually touches and manipulates objects, and the maker says designing one is a hard tradeoff because dexterity, strength, ruggedness, cost, repairability and sensing all compete with each other. Each degree of freedom is one more independent way the hand can move, usually provided by its own joint, so more of them means finer control but more parts. The Atlas GR3 hand is a hand for Atlas, a humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics. The maker describes it as having four fingers including a thumb and 13 degrees of freedom, up from 7 in the earlier GR2 hand, so that it can manipulate objects, for example pinching small items or holding a power tool while pressing its trigger, rather than only grasping them. It also has pressure sensors on the fingertips and palm.

Written from primary sources and reference pages, and checked against them by an independent AI fact-checker. Drafted with AI assistance.