Abstract: One variation of a method for automatically re-sharpening a knife includes: receiving a knife at a vice; during a scan cycle, scanning the grind head along a blade of the knife from an initial longitudinal position proximal the vice toward a longitudinal end position and recording a sequence of vertical positions of segments of an edge of the blade at various longitudinal positions of the grind head based on outputs of a sensor arranged in the grind head; calculating a blade profile for the knife based on the sequence of vertical positions; and, during a grind cycle, actuating a grind wheel in the grind head and pitching the grind head while driving the grind head longitudinally along the blade to maintain an axis of the grind wheel substantially parallel to segments the blade profile corresponding to longitudinal positions of the grind head, relative to the vice.

Abstract: One variation of a method for automatically re-sharpening a knife includes: receiving a knife at a vice; during a scan cycle, scanning the grind head along a blade of the knife from an initial longitudinal position proximal the vice toward a longitudinal end position and recording a sequence of vertical positions of segments of an edge of the blade at various longitudinal positions of the grind head based on outputs of a sensor arranged in the grind head; calculating a blade profile for the knife based on the sequence of vertical positions; and, during a grind cycle, actuating a grind wheel in the grind head and pitching the grind head while driving the grind head longitudinally along the blade to maintain an axis of the grind wheel substantially parallel to segments the blade profile corresponding to longitudinal positions of the grind head, relative to the vice.

Abstract: One variation of a method for automatically re-sharpening a knife includes: receiving a knife at a vice; during a scan cycle, scanning the grind head along a blade of the knife from an initial longitudinal position proximal the vice toward a longitudinal end position and recording a sequence of vertical positions of segments of an edge of the blade at various longitudinal positions of the grind head based on outputs of a sensor arranged in the grind head; calculating a blade profile for the knife based on the sequence of vertical positions; and, during a grind cycle, actuating a grind wheel in the grind head and pitching the grind head while driving the grind head longitudinally along the blade to maintain an axis of the grind wheel substantially parallel to segments the blade profile corresponding to longitudinal positions of the grind head, relative to the vice.

Abstract: A robotic hand comprises a base having fingers and a palm. The fingers define a working volume. The hand is able to grasp objects between the fingers and the palm by varying a distance from the palm to the working volume. Varying this distance can be achieved by either moving the palm towards the working volume or by moving the working volume towards the palm. Robotic hands that move the palm comprise an actuator that extends the palm from the base towards the working volume. Robotic hands that move the working volume relative to the palm have the fingers mounted to a common finger support unit that is configured to translate relative to the base.

Abstract: A robotic hand comprises a base having fingers and a palm. The fingers define a working volume. The hand is able to grasp objects between the fingers and the palm by varying a distance from the palm to the working volume. Varying this distance can be achieved by either moving the palm towards the working volume or by moving the working volume towards the palm. Robotic hands that move the palm comprise an actuator that extends the palm from the base towards the working volume. Robotic hands that move the working volume relative to the palm have the fingers mounted to a common finger support unit that is configured to translate relative to the base.