When designing technology like this, it is important to not get stuck thinking about design from a human body part. Why would it need to be like a human hand? Could it be better if it looked like some strange spider like contraption? Think about the job being done, not the job being done currently by a human. Even more interestingly, you can consider if you can change how you plant if you don't have to plant around the thought that humans are doing the harvesting work. Archive: https://archive.today/JV5oe From the post: >>Fresh, frozen and processed berries are a multi-billion-dollar business in America. In Arkansas alone, fresh-market blackberries contribute $24.3 million each year to the state’s economy. But these delicate blackberries sold in clamshells at supermarkets must be picked by hand, and farm labor has been limited in recent years. A new berry-picking robot gripper developed at the U of A could give growers a high-tech replacement for limited labor availability.