Ability Hand

The Ability Hand is a touch-sensing, multi-articulating bionic hand designed to bring human-level dexterity to collaborative robots. Built on the same platform used by individuals with limb differences, it combines high-speed actuation, strength, durability, and multi-touch sensing in a compact system optimized for real-world use.

Traditional robotic end effectors are limited to simple, repeatable tasks and struggle with variation, delicate handling and complex geometries. The Ability Hand enables adaptive grasping and precise manipulation across a wide range of objects and environments, with integrated touch sensing for real-time, reliable control. 

Powered by UR g-Series and PolyScope X 

UR g-Series robots deliver higher power and 1 Gb Ethernet directly at the tool flange. The Ability Hand leverages this to drive its actuation and stream control and live touch-sensor data straight down the arm – with fewer cables and a cleaner cell. A ready-to-use URCap brings drop-in grip and position commands into PolyScope X, so you configure and program the hand directly on the teach pendant and integration stays simple.

How Does it Work?:

Once mounted to the tool flange, the Ability Hand connects through standard communication interfaces and is controlled from the robot’s existing PolyScope X programming environment. Each finger is independently actuated, enabling a wide range of grasp patterns beyond traditional tooling. 

Embedded touch sensors detect contact, pressure and object interaction in real time, so the robot can adjust grip force, maintain stability and handle delicate or variable objects reliably. The hand also streams tactile and motor data – capturing how objects are grasped, manipulated and released – which you can use to improve control and train machine-learning models.

Does it have a URCap?: Yes

License: One-time purchase

Minimum Software versions:

PolyScope X 

PolyScope 5  

URCap Release 1.0 

UR RTDE 

PSYONIC open API – github.com/psyonicinc/ability-hand-api 

Dependencies:

Python 3.1 or later

12V, 10+A power supply

Certifications & Standard:

IP64

License:

One-time purchase (perpetual) 

URCap included with hardware – no additional charge 

Dimensions :

Height at Wrist : 47 mm

Width at Palm : 85 mm

Length : 186 mm

Weight : 0.47 kg

Payload:

Axial load capacity: 45.4 kg (100 lb)

Actuation & sensing:

6 driven motors · 0.2 s close 

30 touch sensors + haptic feedback 

Materials:

Carbon-fiber palm 

Compliance / Standards

Not specified – to confirm with partner 

Communication:

Ethernet/TCP-IP · UR RTDE · BLE · UART · RS485 · I2C 

Charging:

USB-C (~1 h, tabletop)

• Multi-articulating design for complex, human-like manipulation
• Integrated multi-touch sensing for real-time feedback
• High-speed actuation for responsive, dynamic tasks
• Adaptive grasping across a wide range of object shapes and sizes
• Compact, lightweight form factor for cobot compatibility
• Durable construction for real-world environments
• Human-proven platform used in both prosthetic and robotic applications
• Generates tactile data for AI and machine learning applications
• Enables handling of delicate and variable objects
• Designed for seamless integration with collaborative robots

• UR3e
• UR7e
• UR8 Long
• UR12e
• UR15
• UR16e
• UR18
• UR20
• UR30
• UR10g-1750
• UR17g-1300
• UR18g-950

• United States

The Ability Hand mounts to the robot’s tool flange with the included UR mount, and the UR cable harness runs down the arm to the controller for power and data. A USB-C charging block, batteries, power switch and development kit support tabletop testing and integration.

• Development kit (research breakout board, jumper wires, USB-UART dongle) 
• Batteries for tabletop testing 
• Power switch 
• USB-C charging block and charging cable 
• UR mount 
• UR cable harness