From Single Arm Manipulators to Complex Robots

Performance • Strength • Durability • Dexterity

HDT’s Adroit® robot manipulators are made for demanding applications that require strength, dexterity, and light weight – especially important in mobile robotics. With a power-to-weight ratio nearly an order of magnitude better than any other arm, nothing comes close to our performance.

Highly Effective Remotely Operated (HERO) Robots

For Emergency Response

Safe – with built-in force sensing, Adroit manipulators are safe for collaborative operations alongside people.

For Day-to-Day Safety

Harsh environment? Not a problem. HDT’s Adroit manipulators are IP67 sealed against rain, dust, grit, wash-down, and immersion.

For Complex Tasks

Fully modular – build your own arm. Choose degrees of freedom, joint strength, limb lengths, and end-effectors. Add sensors and payloads using our systems.

Control our arms with ROS 1 and ROS 2. Certified compatible with the MoveIt Pro Runtime & Developer Platform. We provide Rviz and Gazebo simulator models of standard arm configurations, or you can build your own custom configuration, using our components. Test your virtual arm’s performance, then we’ll help you validate those results using actual hardware.

Robot Features

From manufacturing facilities to bomb disposal applications, our robots are equipped to withstand harsh conditions and designed for strength, durability, function, and dexterity. HDT developed our patented, ultra-efficient actuators for DARPA. Our actuators are fully modular and self-contained, with continuous rotation.

The control electronics, absolute position sensing, and speed sensing are built into each actuator. Internal power and gigabit Ethernet buses run the length of each arm, with breakout access available for customer-mounted sensors and payloads at any point along the arm.

Build Your Own Arm

Using HDT’s modular components, customers can configure their own arm, with the degrees of freedom, reach and lift capability that they require. Anything is possible, from a simple pan/tilt mount to the dual-arm configuration shown below, which has over a dozen degrees of freedom.

All of HDT’s arms are environmentally sealed to IP66 (or optionally IP67). The control electronics are built into every component, so the only thing needed for installation is to bolt the base of the arm to the work surface, then plug in power and Ethernet. All the components assemble together using captive nuts and a single wrench.

Our product line of Robotic Arms provide multiple solutions to meet multiple needs.

Small Arms

HDT offers several standard manipulator configurations, including four, five, and six degrees of freedom (DoF) and a variety of lift capabilities. We also offer an assortment of various size grippers from precision up to bulk lifting. These arms are available with short lead times. Rviz and Gazebo models for ROS are available for these arms at no charge, so you can see if one of these manipulators will work for your application.

Dual Arms

Adroit dual arm systems closely match the dexterity, strength, and speed of human workers, making them useful for material handling tasks. The performance and low cost of Adroit systems also makes them attractive for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications. Adroit dual arm robots can be built in a variety of configurations. In general, dual arm systems tend to resemble humans in scale and performance. Very small and lightweight systems are also possible. All Adroit manipulators are fully sealed environmentally and operate across a wide temperature range, so they work outdoors in rough environments just as easily as indoors. Maritime versions of these arms are also available, which use special corrosion-resistance materials and deep-diving seals.

Product Data Sheets

Underwater Arms

HDT’s underwater arms can turn an inspection-class Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) into a small work-class ROV. With a tip gripper force over 20 pounds (100 N), our electrically-powered arms can perform demanding tasks. These arms are easy to install on a range of ROVs. All the electronics are built into the arm, so there is no separate electronics box. Topside, the arm is simple to control, with very little training. HDT’s underwater manipulator arms have an operating depth of 100 meters. The highly dexterous arm shown above has seven joints, plus a two-jaw gripper. Because our arms are modular, we can custom configure your arm with the number of joints and the lengths of segments that you need.

Test drive our product before buying! Welcome to the HDT Product Loaner program.

This program is designed for those organizations investigating either first time or additional automation solutions. Our robot loaner program allows interested parties to borrow our products for an extended period of time. Your organization will be able to determine the viability of its implementation in real-time, providing a more effortless and seamless integration process once your needs are planned, designed, and understood at a deeper level.

Get Started

Our arms have been through plenty of certified testing. See our use case results.

Our entire product line of ADROIT arms has gone through multiple rounds of testing that includes hazardous environments, safety protocol and performance. See why our arms are best suited for durability and safety in the following categories…

• First Response
• Manufacturing
• Labor Safety
• Warehouse Inspection
•Energy

• Underwater
• Oil & Gas
• Chemical
• Extreme Temperatures & Harsh Conditions

About Our Company

HDT has an 80 year history of developing and manufacturing high-performance products for harsh environments. Our work in robotics began in 2006, developing the worlds most advanced prosthetic arm for DARPA. With 28 degrees of freedom, this arm closely matched the weight, speed, strength, and dexterity of a human arm.

Using the patented actuator technology we developed for DARPA, we simplified and ruggedized the components into a modular set of actuators. A nearly infinite variety of manipulator arms can be built out of these actuators.

HDT has over a million square feet of manufacturing space and is fully ISO-9001 certified.

HDT-building
16-foot-adroit

ADROIT Solutions

Packaged or Build Your Own

Mobile Robots • Single Arm • Underwater • Dual Arm
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Industries We Serve

Commercial Applications

First Response • Manufacturing • Labor Safety • Energy
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Our Mission

Innovation Meets Safety

We perfected a durable arm to protect and save lives in hazardous environments.
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Ready to talk?

Robotics can be complicated, and we get that. That’s why we like to talk to our customers to comfortably guide them through it.

From industry engineers to business leaders, our commitment is to offer custom support that meets specific needs.We have a simple process that starts with discussing your situation, help evaluate the needs and offer the best options to meet those needs. All we need is a way to contact you.

We care about your privacy. We will only use this info to contact you about this specific inquiry.

Among Our Clients