A robotic hand made of wood could be used in extremely hot environments while maintaining a delicate touch.

Most robotic hand grippers are made of soft plastics, which can pick up objects without damaging them but melt at high temperatures, or metals with many moving parts, which are rigid and complex to handle.

Now, sweet tan ching at the National University of Singapore and colleagues have developed wooden pegs made from 0.5-millimeter-thick pieces of Canadian maple,…