Stranger Thing: Scientists build robot hand that can go walkabout like Addams Family character. Swiss scientists have developed a robotic hand that can walk off on its own - rather like Thing from The Addams Family. The creepy creation, developed by researchers at Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) can outperform a human hand’s dexterity, thanks to a dual-thumbed design, a reversible palm, and its ability to go walkabout. The device can support up to six identical silicone-tipped fingers. Rather than having a fixed thumb, any finger can act as one, allowing opposing pairs to form pinches as needed. This removes the asymmetry that limits human hands. The hand is also reversible, meaning its “palm” and “back” are interchangeable. Perhaps most strikingly, it can detach entirely from its robotic arm and move on its own, crawling in a spider-like fashion to grasp and carry objects beyond the arm’s reach. Although the robot appears futuristic, the researchers say its design was inspired by the natural world - and octopuses in particular. With five fingers, it can reproduce most standard human grasps. With more than five, it can perform tasks that would normally require two hands, such as unscrewing the lid of a large bottle or driving a screw into wood using a screwdriver. The research has been published in the journal Nature Communications.