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American Droid is a robotics engineering and development firm dedicated to advancing military and public service missions.

Robotic Hand for High-Skill Operations

Precision Where It Counts 

American Droid is focused on precision manipulation for mission-critical robotics. Many consumer robotics applications can rely on “good enough” hands, but high-skill operator tasks — such as combat casualty care, trauma response, or remote inspections — demand independent joint control, fine dexterity, and predictable motion. Our engineering prioritizes these capabilities, laying the groundwork for robotics that can truly augment human operators in challenging environments.

SBIR Phase II Award

In September 2025, American Droid was awarded SBIR Phase II under DHA242-002_Robotic End-Effector for Combat Casualty Care to develop a novel robotic end-effector that attaches to robotic and autonomous systems to perform diagnostics and intervention medical tasks for combat casualty care. Our robotic hand design:

  • Provides a fully actuated hand 
  • Eliminates delays and slack inherent in tendon- or cable-driven designs.
  • Allows fingers to adduct, abduct, and bend independently at each knuckle, enabling precise, nuanced manipulation.

By moving actuation to the joint itself, our system opens the possibility for complex tasks such as remote triage and medical intervention in rugged environments.

SBIR Phase III: What Phase III Status Offers Government Customers

Please visit: (reference: https://www.sbir.gov/tutorials/data-rights/tutorial-4)

The SBIR program allows federal agencies to leverage Phase II technology through Phase III awards, enabling operational deployment and further capability development. Key Phase III benefits include):

  • Right to sole-source contracts with the original SBIR awardee.
  • Exemption from SBA size standards for procurement.
  • No dollar limits on the size of Phase III contracts.
  • Phase III mandate, ensuring the SBIR awardee is considered first for follow-on work.
  • Ability to receive subcontracts on a sole-source basis.
  • Authorization to pursue research, development, production, services, or products under a Phase III.

This makes SBIR Phase II and Phase III technologies highly attractive for federal operators, enabling them to access advanced, mission-ready robotics quickly, efficiently, and legally, while protecting data rights and operational know-how.

Engagement with Government Agencies and Operators

We are seeking engagement with government leaders to gather general manipulation and operator requirements for robotic hand dexterity. Our goal is to accommodate military, civilian, and public sector use cases, because agencies are generally required to engage the original SBIR awardee first for follow-on or commercialization contracts (15 U.S.C. §638; FAR 6.302-5(b)(7)). By collecting operator requirements now, we ensure our dexterous robotic hand aligns with potential agency needs in the coming years.