A simple hand is a robotic gripper that trades off generality in function for practicality in design and control. The long-term goal of our work is to explore that tradeoff and demonstrate broad manipulation capabilities with simple hands. This paper describes two prototype simple hands. Both hands have thin cylindrical fingers arranged symmetrically around a low friction circular palm. The fin...

While complex hands seem to offer generality, simple hands are often more practical. This raises the question: how do generality and simplicity trade off in the design of robot hands? This paper explores the tension between simplicity in hand design and generality in hand function. It raises arguments both for and against simple hands; it considers several familiar examples; and it proposes a c...

This paper describes a hands-off socially assistive therapist robot designed for monitoring, assisting, encouraging, and socially interacting with users engaged in rehabilitation exercises. We investigate the role of the robot’s personality, empathy, and physiological signals in the hands-off therapy process, focusing mainly on the relationship between the level of extroversion-introversion of ...

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is the electrical activity of the brain recorded by electrodes placed on the scalp. EEG signals are generally investigated for the diagnosis of mental conditions such as epilepsy, memory impairments, and sleep disorders. In recent years there has been another application using EEG: for brain-computer interface (BCI) designs (Vaughan & Wolpaw, 2006). EEG-based BCI desi...

If you get a hangnail, it?s recommended that you avoid pulling or biting it off. Instead, remove the excess skin with nail clippers or nail scissors. To avoid infection, make sure to wash your hands regularly. You mentioned that your hangnail is very sore and swollen ? this could be a sign of infection. It?s wise to apply some over-the-counter antibacterial ointment or cream (after you clean an...

A police case with a strangulated woman with fingermarks on the neck and two suspects identifying each other as the perpetrator set off a laboratory experiment. Twenty-one males participated in the study. Blue paint was applied to their fingers, after which they grasped a neck dummy and pressed hard as if strangulating someone. The imprint was removed from the dummy, and their hands were photog...