In nearly a year since he took office, President Donald Trump has had countless meetings with leaders all around the world – and, with that, countless awkward handshakes.
But, with a little training, one robot-maker says the notorious grip can be ‘defeated.’
A hilarious video has demonstrated the ‘Donald Trump Handshake Robot,’ which aims to mimic the unpredictable nature of the president’s handshake to reveal the best option for reciprocating.
The robot itself is essentially just a robotic arm, decorated in a large suit and topped off with a cut-out of the president’s face. There are several different types of handshakes it can do, from ‘regular’ and ‘hand on shoulder,’ to ‘locking fingers’
The video created by YouTuber Useless Duck Company resurfaced this week after its initial popularity last year.
Useless Duck Company CEO, introduced simply as ‘Mike’, explains that the robot was made to simulate ‘the exact handshake that Donald Trump does.’
The robot itself is essentially just a robotic arm, decorated in a large suit and topped off with a cut-out of the president’s face.
There are several different types of handshakes it can do, from ‘regular’ and ‘hand on shoulder,’ to ‘locking fingers.’
President Donald Trump has become known for his awkward handshake encounters, with grips that last too long, and a forceful ‘pull’ that draws the other person in close.
And, the robotic arm in the video does the same, even varying its timing to mimic the real life unpredictability.
‘You just press this button and then the Arduino will pick a random time between 1 and 5 seconds,’ Mike explains in the video.
‘This is important, as with Trump you never know when he’s going to actually pull your arm.
‘Once the time is reached the solenoid will charge an air piston which will retract the arm.’
The video shows how the robot bests its creator nearly every time.
Except, that is, when the mode of greeting is changed.
As Mike hilariously reveals, the most effective option appears to be a fist bump.
President Donald Trump has, in real life, had several awkward handshakes over the last year – most notably including a white-knuckle exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and a face-off with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left)
President Donald Trump has become known for his awkward handshake encounters, with grips that last too long, and a forceful ‘pull’ that draws the other person in close. And, the robotic arm in the video does the same, even varying its timing to mimic the real life unpredictability
In the video, the robot-maker replaces the hand with a tiny fist, which cannot clasp or pull.
President Donald Trump has, in real life, had several awkward handshakes over the last year – most notably including a white-knuckle exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron and a face-off with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who held onto the President to circumvent his pull.
In November, he was baffled by a group handshake in the Philippines.
And, in September, Trump even shared an awkward handshake with his own wife, as First Lady Melania introduced her husband at a US Air Force event.