# Meet the real-life 'Thing': Scientists create robotic hand that walks on fingers

> Scientists build robotic hand that walks on fingers like Addams Family character.
- Title: Meet the real-life 'Thing': Scientists create robotic hand…
- Summary: Scientists build robotic hand that walks on fingers like Addams Family character.
- Keywords: robotic hand, eth zurich, reinforcement learning, wuji robotic hand, fingertip walking, keyboard operation, humanoid robots, addams family thing, Dailymail
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16278347/robotic-hand-addams-family-thing.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-11-09T15:49:53+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: robotic hand, eth zurich, reinforcement learning, wuji robotic hand, fingertip walking, keyboard operation, humanoid robots, addams family thing, news, entertainment
## Real-life 'Thing' robot hand
Scientists created a robotic hand that walks on its fingers like the Addams Family character Thing.

> Scientists have created a real-life version of the disembodied hand from the creepy franchise, teaching a robotic hand to walk by itself.
## Robotic hand walks on fingers
The 1.8lb hand can walk upright on its fingertips across different surfaces and terrains.

> The robot is able to walk upright on its fingertips across a range of different surfaces and terrains.
## Self-recovery after falls
The hand can right itself after a fall 21 times out of 25 in testing.

> It can right itself after a fall, doing so 21 times out of 25 in testing.
## Keyboard operation
The hand can press keyboard buttons while staying balanced with one finger.

> The hand is able to press buttons on a keyboard while staying balanced.
## 14 surface types
The hand walks across 14 different surfaces including grass, gravel, hardwood floors and stone.

> The hand can 'walk' across 14 different types of surfaces, including grass, gravel, hardwood floors and stone.
## Reinforcement learning
Scientists used reinforcement learning to teach the hand to walk through computer simulations.

> The robotic hand learned to walk through a process called reinforcement learning, practising motions over thousands of computer simulations.
## WUJI robotic hand
Researchers modified a WUJI robotic hand from Chinese company to add battery and computer.

> The engineers started with a WUJI robotic hand, an existing bit of tech by the Chinese technology company.
## Future applications
The technology could help humanoid robots reach small spaces by detaching limbs.

> In the future, scientists believe this could give humanoid robots a way of reaching spaces that are too small for their bulky bodies by popping off their limbs and sending them on ahead.
## Lead researcher
Amirhossein Kazemipour is the lead researcher from ETH Zurich.

> Lead researcher Amirhossein Kazemipour told the Daily Mail: 'Imagine a robot reaching a narrow opening that its body or arm cannot enter.
## Future autonomy
The hand could become fully autonomous for complex tasks in the future.

> For now, the hand is controlled remotely by an operator, with an onboard computer translating their commands into finger movements. In future, the researchers say, the technology could help build more complex autonomous robots.
## Key takeaway

Scientists developed a robotic hand that walks on its fingers, mimicking the Addams Family character Thing, and can operate keyboards while staying balanced.