Sharpa Launches D01 Robot, W02 Hand and AE01 Data Glove at IROS

The company said D01, which it describes as the first integrated tactile-sensing dexterous manipulation robot, is designed around dexterity, agility and precision for tasks requiring high-speed movement, high-precision control and complex physical contact. The robot has an arm payload-to-weight ratio close to 1:1, a maximum end-effector speed of more than 10.5 m/s, a communication frequency of 1,000 Hz, repeat positioning accuracy of 0.2 mm and a spherical wrist at 1:1 human scale. It is equipped with body electronic skin, with 100 Hz tactile sampling, a force sensing range of 0.1–20 N and 0.2 N force resolution, which Sharpa says allows it to handle falling objects and unexpected collisions with human-like reaction and force control.

W02 follows Sharpa’s W01 dexterous hand and is described as an ultra-compact, lightweight full-tactile hand. It integrates 21 active degrees of freedom into a structure about 30% smaller than W01, reducing forearm load and allowing it to fit into workspaces designed for human hands. Its fingertips use high-resolution visuotactile sensors with a force range of 5 mN to 30 N and 1 mm spatial resolution. The rest of the palm is covered by electronic skin with a force range of 0.1–20 N and 5 mm spatial resolution. W02 also achieves zero grip radius for small-diameter objects such as chopsticks and thin wires, and has IP54 water and dust protection.

AE01 is a high-fidelity exoskeleton tactile data glove for precise teleoperation and first-person-view data collection. It uses 22 encoders to capture an operator’s natural hand movements and map them to a robot in real time. Each fingertip supports 256-level continuous dynamic tactile feedback, allowing the operator to feel grip force and contact state. The glove is calibration-free and is designed to resist electromagnetic, light, humidity and temperature interference, according to Leiphone.

At IROS, Sharpa demonstrated the three products through six live tasks. In a baton-passing challenge, D01 used high-speed motion and precise control to identify and catch a falling baton. In a whole-body tactile response demonstration, audience members touched D01’s arm or chest and saw it respond. In robot bartending, an operator used AE01 to teleoperate D01 through adding ice, pouring, shaking and serving drinks. In a toy-catching demonstration, W02 mirrored the operator’s hand movements to catch thrown toys. Sharpa also showed W01 spinning a pen and W01 SE rotating an object in hand.

The company said the launches connect a high-performance body with full-body electronic skin, a full-palm tactile dexterous hand and a high-precision data collection device. Sharpa has previously held demonstrations at CES and at a Sharpa × DQ robot Blizzard restaurant on Wujiang Road in Shanghai, where it completed a 55-step long production process, according to Leiphone. The IROS exhibit runs until Oct. 1 Beijing time at booth 514 in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.