ABB Robotics is collaborating with California bionics company, PSYONIC, to advance robotic gripping and dexterity. This innovative partnership utilizes real-world manipulation data from human prosthetic use. By combining the PSYONIC Ability Hand with an ABB GoFa™ cobot, the collaboration explores how touch and motion data can train robots to perform delicate, variable tasks that have traditionally been difficult to automate.
“Human dexterity and the instinctive understanding of how to handle different objects is one of the most difficult things to replicate in industrial-grade robotics, but it’s a fundamental need for truly autonomous and versatile robots,” said Marc Segura, President of ABB Robotics. “As we develop the next generation physical AI, robots will learn and understand the world as we do. This collaboration with PSYONIC will help to close the long-standing gap between human and robot dexterity, opening up new possibilities for a wide range of industries.”
Driving Autonomous Versatile Robotics (AVR) and Physical AI
Grasping and advanced dexterity are central to Autonomous Versatile Robotics (AVR™). This is ABB Robotics’ vision for intelligent machines that can sense, reason, move, and handle objects with precision in dynamic environments. These capabilities are also critical to advancing physical AI in the industrial sector, creating robotic systems that learn from real-world interaction and apply that intelligence with industrial-grade reliability.
The collaboration will explore new automation applications across numerous industries, including:
- Automotive and Aerospace: Handling complex components.
- Packaging and Logistics: Managing irregular or delicate goods.
- Life Sciences: Operating in high-precision laboratory environments.
By enabling collaborative robots (cobots) to take on repetitive, ergonomically challenging, or highly variable tasks, ABB Robotics and PSYONIC help people and robots work together more effectively. This improves productivity, flexibility, and workplace safety. Currently, PSYONIC is working closely with ABB Robotics’ R&D team on software integration and touch-enabled manipulation. [
Revolutionizing Robotic Dexterity with Human-Generated Data
Originally developed for prosthetic use, the PSYONIC Ability Hand combines myoelectric control, touch sensing, and compliant mechanics in a lightweight, multi-articulating design. Its advanced pressure sensors and vibration feedback system enable users to detect contact, grip force, and release, while flexible fingers conform naturally to irregular and deformable objects.
“Dexterous manipulation is ultimately a data challenge as much as a hardware challenge,” said Dr. Aadeel Akhtar, Founder and CEO of PSYONIC. “By using the same Ability Hand on people and on robots, we can capture high-fidelity real-world data on movement, contact, and grip force, then use that to train robotic systems more effectively. Integrating with ABB’s robotics platform allows us to expand into more environments and unlock the level of dexterity needed to take on the hardest challenges in automation.”
Industrial-Grade Performance with ABB GoFa Cobots
To support this data-driven development, the ABB GoFa cobot provides the extreme accuracy and repeatability required for industrial-grade deployment. It ensures that subtle variations in grip force, finger positioning, and movement can be consistently executed and evaluated. This level of precision is critical for translating human-derived manipulation data into reliable robotic performance across complex, variable tasks.
The partnership evaluates how this combined capability applies to industrial use cases where traditional gripping technologies struggle with variability, fragility, or complexity. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), advanced gripping and digital integration can reduce engineering time by up to 30%, underlining the importance of end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) in accelerating deployment and improving automation ROI.
By combining cutting-edge robotics, physical AI, and real-world manipulation data, ABB Robotics and PSYONIC are overcoming long-standing barriers to automation, enabling more capable and adaptable robots to operate reliably in real-world environments.