The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wants to help turn manufacturing robots into dexterous, nimble-fingered machines—affordable mechanical helpers that can easily handle different types of objects and flexibly assist human workers at even small U.S. factories.

At a January 24, 2013, workshop in Chicago, Illinois, NIST researchers and their partners from industry will be asking manufacturers to identify where in assembly and other production-related operations dexterous robots would provide the biggest boost to their capabilities and process efficiency. Sponsored by the Robotics Industry Association, the NIST Workshop on Dexterous Manipulation for Manufacturing Applications will be held in conjunction with Automate 2013, a biennial conference and trade show focusing on process automation.

Three sessions will feature presentations by industry leaders on dexterous grasping, robot-arm technology, and flexible manufacturing. Each session will conclude with an open-format panel discussion on needs and opportunities for dexterous manipulation in next-generation manufacturing systems, especially for low-volume production runs.

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