Development of the Bioinspired Tendon-Driven DexHand 021 with Proprioceptive Compliance Control

2025-11-05

AI Summary

Dexterous robotic hands struggle to simultaneously achieve human-like agility and engineering practicality—specifically, lightweight design, high payload capacity, and precise force sensing. Method: This paper introduces DexHand 021, a biomimetic tendon-driven five-finger dexterous hand weighing only 1 kg, featuring 19 degrees of freedom, fingertip load capacity exceeding 10 N per finger, repeatability < 0.001 m, and force estimation error < 0.2 N. It innovatively integrates proprioceptive cable-tension sensing with an admittance-model-based closed-loop force control algorithm. Contribution/Results: This integration significantly reduces joint torque during multi-object grasping, enhances force feedback accuracy, and improves collision robustness. Experimental validation demonstrates stable execution of 33 GRASP primitives and complex intelligent manipulation tasks. DexHand 021 establishes a new paradigm for high-dynamic, high-fidelity human–robot collaborative manipulation—balancing superior performance with engineering feasibility.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Manipulation
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Computer Vision: Biometrics, Face, Gesture & Pose

Application Category

• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments

Abstract

The human hand plays a vital role in daily life and industrial applications, yet replicating its multifunctional capabilities-including motion, sensing, and coordinated manipulation with robotic systems remains a formidable challenge. Developing a dexterous robotic hand requires balancing human-like agility with engineering constraints such as complexity, size-to-weight ratio, durability, and force-sensing performance. This letter presents Dex-Hand 021, a high-performance, cable-driven five-finger robotic hand with 12 active and 7 passive degrees of freedom (DoFs), achieving 19 DoFs dexterity in a lightweight 1 kg design. We propose a proprioceptive force-sensing-based admittance control method to enhance manipulation. Experimental results demonstrate its superior performance: a single-finger load capacity exceeding 10 N, fingertip repeatability under 0.001 m, and force estimation errors below 0.2 N. Compared to PID control, joint torques in multi-object grasping are reduced by 31.19%, significantly improves force-sensing capability while preventing overload during collisions. The hand excels in both power and precision grasps, successfully executing 33 GRASP taxonomy motions and complex manipulation tasks. This work advances the design of lightweight, industrial-grade dexterous hands and enhances proprioceptive control, contributing to robotic manipulation and intelligent manufacturing.

Problem

• Replicating human hand dexterity in robotic systems with motion and sensing capabilities
• Balancing human-like agility with engineering constraints like weight and durability
• Enhancing manipulation through proprioceptive force-sensing and compliance control

Innovation

• Cable-driven robotic hand with 19 DoFs
• Proprioceptive force-sensing admittance control method
• Lightweight 1 kg design for industrial applications