WATCH: Robot hand can pick up 50-pound weight, use tweezers

The chance of having a robot that can open a can of soda for you is becoming more of a possibility.

Using a three-fingered model, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and iRobot, have released a robotic hand that is able to pick up a 50-pound weight, utilize a small set of keys and survive being hit by a baseball bat.

According to DARPA's YouTube channel, researchers strayed away from mimicking a human hand and chose a three pronged approach with a useable palm that would make it easier for the robot to have fluid motion. The machine is part of DARPA's Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM-H) program, which develops low-cost and agile robotic hand hardware.

"The ARM-H hand is constructed using a variety of methods, including 3D printing, custom plastic and rubber molding, as well as classical machining techniques each to construct separate parts of the hand," Mark Claffee, principal robotics engineer at iRobot, said in an email to CBSNews.com.

According to DARPA, when made in batches of 1,000, the hands can cost as little as $3,000 to be manufactured. The current robotic hands on the market go for as much $50,000.

"As robots become more prevalent in multiple industries, however, one could imagine that lower cost, durable and effective robot hands could be useful for several applications in the future," said Claffee.

The hope is that these hands will eventually be used to help disarm bombs or complete other military activities that could risk lives. These robotic hands are able to do so much that some researchers believe they won't only be good for dangerous defense missions, but will also serve to help people who need prosthetic hands.

Watch the video below to see the robotic hand at work.