Thinker Announces 'Think Hand proto-2': Robotic Automation for Wire Harness Mating

Thinker, a company aiming to make robots as easy to use as home appliances, has announced the development of 'Think Hand proto-2,' a robotic hand equipped with 'Haptic Connecting Technology' to automate wire harness mating.

Wire harnesses are used in most electronic and precision devices across automotive, home appliance, aerospace, and robotics industries. Traditionally, wire harness mating has been difficult to automate, as it requires flexible handling of connectors and extremely delicate positioning adjustments during insertion, leaving the task dependent on human labor.

Addressing this, Thinker has applied its existing 'Haptic Picking' technology to connector handling and developed new 'Haptic Connecting' technology to achieve the delicate, flexible adjustments required for insertion. This successful automation covers tasks long handled intuitively by human hands.

Previously, Thinker contributed to manufacturing automation through its 'Haptic Picking' technology, which picks up randomly placed parts. By integrating the new 'Haptic Connecting' technology, the company now covers not only sorting and placing but also installation, assembly, and mating processes, significantly expanding the potential for manufacturing automation.

The 'Think Hand proto-2' will be presented at 'ROBOT TECHNOLOGY JAPAN 2026,' held at Aichi Sky Expo from June 11 to 13, 2026.