Thing, is that you? Watch this disembodied AI robot hand 'walk' like a terrible spider from the depths of my nightmares

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This Robotic Hand Walks on Its Fingertips - YouTube

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Andy Edser

This week on "nightmare fuel I've found on the internet," how about this disembodied robot hand that walks on its own digits? Researchers at ETH Zurich have created Thing from the The Addams Family... I mean, a creative robotics project that answers the question: "If I chop off a robot's hand, is it capable of moving on its own?"

Actually, it could potentially be used by large robots that need to reach something far away, beyond what their bulky frames could otherwise get to (via Hackaday). It's got four joints per finger, and its shambling gait is controlled by neural net-trained software, which iteratively works out the joint positioning based on previous movements.

The software was trained in a simulator via reinforcement learning, which has resulted in the hand's current capabilities. In addition to creeping forward like an awkward spider, it can also right itself when it's been tipped over. Oh, and it can push small objects and press buttons on a keyboard, too.

In a world where AI might be coming for us writers, I didn't envisage disembodied robotic hands as a potential replacement, but here we are. At least the inevitable robot uprising will come with cheery music, if the YouTube demo video is anything to go by. Small mercies, etc.

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