WATCH: US Army’s Extremely Dexterous Robot

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Robots have come a long way since their clunky beginnings. Long gone are the days of amusing automatons failing to do anything of significance, when their very existence was impressive all by itself. Robots now perform thousands of tasks in factories and out on the field, and the US Army just got its hand on one of the coolest ones.

RE2 Robotics, a a Carnegie Mellon spin-off hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania created a robot designed to perform extremely high precision tasks. The HDMS 551s1 is controlled by a human operator, has a human-like torso that can spin on its axis, and two arms where the real magic happens. The arms are equipped with specially designed two-fingered grippers that can perform a variety of super precise tasks.

In the video below you can see the HDMS perform several tasks with impressive dexterity: stacking blocks on little poles, screwing a cap on a flask, and even removing a safety cap from a pill bottle. The robot’s nimbleness is quite astounding, and is exactly the sort of thing the Army needs.

Robots that could perform precision tasks have been around for a while, but what’s really impressive here is the versatility and adaptability of the HDMS. It certainly feels like this robot could tackle any challenge. And the Army will be putting it through the paces. The robot will be assigned to explosive ordnance disposal – a task which requires a high degree of precision and quite a bit of flexibility to adjust to a changing environment. The tank-like treads should certainly come in handy, allowing the HDMS to get around easily.

RE2 specialises in ordnance disposal arms, and as the video shows they do it really well, but are planning to expand their expertise to healthcare robots as well. They’re now working on a robotic arm to assist disabled patients, as well as robotic manipulators to assist lifting bedridden patients to ease the strain on nurses.