Baltimore, United States - March 06, 2025 Engineers at Johns Hopkins University have unveiled a groundbreaking bionic hand that grips everyday items like plush toys and water bottles with human-like precision. The pioneering prosthetic adjusts its grasp to avoid crushing delicate objects, offering hope to those with hand loss. This hybrid marvel, blending soft rubberlike polymers with a rigid 3D-printed skeleton, mimics the human hand’s unique mix of firmness and flexibility. Unlike past robotic hands—often too stiff or too floppy—it uses three layers of tactile sensors, inspired by human skin, to feel and distinguish textures. Details of this feat hit Science Advances today. “The goal was a natural prosthetic that feels like a real limb,” said Sriramana Sankar, the biomedical engineer behind it. “We want amputees to hold loved ones without worry.” Controlled by forearm muscles and powered by machine learning, it translates touch into nerve-like signals for a realistic feel. In tests, it handled 15 objects—stuffed toys to metal bottles—with 99.69% accuracy. It even picked up a fragile plastic cup of water using just three fingers, no dents. “It’s a hybrid system, like the human hand,” Sankar said. “Firm for a handshake, soft for a toy.” Professor Nitish Thakor, who led the project, said it “knows” what it touches, much like our nervous system. “If a coffee cup slips, your brain gets the signal. Our hand does the same,” he explained. The tech, funded by the Department of Defense, could shape the future of robotics too. Though still early days, with tweaks needed for stronger grips and tougher materials, this bionic hand promises a revolution. “It’s not just for prosthetics,” Thakor added. “Future robots need this dexterity for glass, fabric, or toys—mimicking our skin, tissue, and bones.”