UM1-Evo
5 000 USD
Didrei Robotic
UM1-Evo is a 24-DoF biomechanical robotic hand built solo by French inventor Didier Vançon. With 25 actuators packed into a human-sized 1.7 kg forearm, true thumb opposition, zero-power relaxation at rest and an 8 kg grip, it targets prosthetics and humanoid robots.
Hand Score
6
Specifications and details:
| Availability | Prototype |
|---|---|
| Degrees of freedom, hands | 24 |
| Strength [kg] | 8 |
| Weight [kg] | 1.7 |
| Size | N/A |
| Number of fingers | 5 |
| Tactile/Force Sensors | N/A |
| Motor tech | 25 electric actuators integrated in the forearm |
| Main structural material | Custom CNC-machined parts made on the creator’s own machines |
| Manufacturer | Didrei Robotic |
| Nationality | French |
| Website | https://www.youtube.com/@didrei-robotic |
Description
UM1-Evo is a biomechanical robotic hand created by Didier Vançon, a self-taught independent inventor from the Lorraine region of France. He developed it alone over five and a half years, from studying hand biomechanics to writing the control software. He even built his own CNC machines to manufacture the parts. The idea came in 2021, when a contestant on the TV show Lego Masters presented a Lego prosthesis. Notably, the whole system fits within the real size and weight of a human forearm.
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Vançon’s main goal is a hand that truly moves like a human one. For example, the thumb swings into true opposition, and the fingers converge naturally as the hand closes. When idle, the hand relaxes completely into a natural pose and uses no power at all. As a result, it looks and behaves far more like a real hand than a typical gripper. Potential uses include next-generation prosthetics and humanoid robots for industry or space, and Vançon hopes to sell the prototype and its know-how to a partner.
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Website: https://www.youtube.com/@didrei-robotic
