SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY : Odetics to Build a 3-Fingered Robotic Hand for Pentagon Research Agency

Odetics has won a contract to build a three-fingered hand--a robot hand, that is.

The Anaheim-based technology company will develop the “Odetics Hand” as part of a robotics program funded by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Army.

An Odetics spokesman said contractual obligations prevent the company from disclosing the value of the contract. Odetics is working as a subcontractor to Minneapolis-based FMC Corp.

The Odetics hand--slightly larger than the average human hand--is designed for handling of military equipment, tools and hardware. The hand has two “thumbs” and a “finger” that can grip objects as small as a pencil, as large as a railroad tie and as tricky as a drawer handle or a doorknob, the company said. The hand also can be adjusted to work like tools, such as a vise, pliers or scoop.

Odetics is a manufacturer of robotic and artificial intelligence systems, and data-collection machines.