INSTITUTE OF BIOROBOTICS SANT’ANNA SCHOOL

INSTITUTE OF BIOROBOTICS Sant’Anna School Pisa

Artificial Hands Area

Human Robot Interaction Laboratory

IH2 Azzurra

Azzurra is a robotic hand created by the BioRobotic Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, based on 20 years of research in the field of the hand prostheses. All its actuation and electronic components are embedded inside the palm and its weight (650g) is little more than that of a human hand. 5 electric motors allow the hand to replicate about 80% of type of grasp used by men during their daily lives and the force sensors within the fingers make it possible to understand when the hand grasps an object.

Azzurra is what is called Enabling Technology: it allows to evaluate several types of man-machine interfaces aimed at controlling a prosthetic hand and obtaining a sensory feedback usable by the patients.