Seed Robotics
"Human-inspired Robot Hands and Manipulators"
Portuguese maker, founded 2015, of tendon-driven research robot hands (RH8D, RH6D, RH4D, RH2D) and FTS tactile sensors with 1 mN resolution.
Seed Robotics is a European manufacturer of human-inspired dexterous robot hands, manipulators and tactile pressure sensors, aimed mainly at research in artificial intelligence, neuroscience, psychology and cognitive science. The company was founded in 2015 and relocated to the Lisbon area of Portugal in 2020; its legal entity is Seed Cognitiva - Robotics Innovation, Lda, with an office in Cruz Quebrada.
The product line consists of tendon-driven hands and grippers built around smart actuators. The RH8D adult-size dexterous hand has 19 degrees of freedom driven by 8 smart actuators, including an opposable thumb and a full spherical wrist. It weighs 620 g and handles a payload of 1 kg in 3D space and 2.5 kg in vertical pull. All actuators report position, speed and current in real time; the palm carries a time-of-flight distance sensor, and capacitive pads on the back of the palm and FTS fingertip tactile sensors are options. The hand runs on a 9 to 24 V supply with a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 processor and communicates over UART on RS485 (TTL options compatible with Robotis), with a Dynamixel Protocol 1.0 and 2.0 compatible serial protocol, USB for configuration, optional Bluetooth for diagnostics, an open-source ROS package, Python (PyPot) support and URDF models for simulation.
The RH6D child-size hand has 15 degrees of freedom and 6 actuators, with a payload of 450 g in 3D space and 750 g in vertical pull, and targets human-robot interaction and child-scale manipulation. The RH4D manipulator offers 11 degrees of freedom with 4 actuators (500 g payload in 3D space, 2.5 kg vertical pull), and the RH2D manipulator 10 degrees of freedom with 2 actuators, a weight of 175 g and a 425 g payload.
Seed Robotics launched its FTS tactile pressure sensor range in 2020. The sensors have a resolution of 1 mN (0.1 g) and a range of up to 30 N (3 kg), in a 3-axis version (FTS-3, measuring shear and contact force) and a 1-axis version (FTS-1, contact force); the company also offers SINGLEX tactile sensors. In 2019 it collaborated with the University of Hamburg on NICO (Neuro-Inspired COmpanion), an open-source developmental humanoid robot for neurocognitive research that uses Seed Robotics hands.
The company traces its origins to a project to give hands to the Darwin-OP humanoid robot, which led to the first-generation RH4D. It was co-founded by Marco Prata, a hardware scientist working in robotics since 2010, and Pedro Ramilo, lead software architect, active in humanoid robotics since 2007. Documentation is published through an online e-manual at kb.seedrobotics.com, and orders and quotations are handled directly by the company.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
RH8D Adult-size Dexterous Robot Hand
Adult-size 19-DoF tendon-driven hand with 8 smart actuators, spherical wrist and optional tactile fingertips
RH6D Child-size Dexterous Robot Hand
Child-size 15-DoF robot hand with 6 actuators for human-robot interaction research
FTS Tactile Pressure Sensors
- Model: FTS-3; FTS-1
- Launch Year: 2020
Fingertip tactile force sensors with 1 mN resolution in 3-axis and 1-axis versions
NICO (Neuro-Inspired COmpanion)
- Model: NICO
- Launch Year: 2019
Open-source developmental humanoid for neurocognitive research, co-developed with University of Hamburg
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Contact Seed Robotics
WEBSITE
https://www.seedrobotics.com/PHONE
+351 966 316 996HEADQUARTERS
Portugal
Company Facts
Founded
2015
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
