Design of an Affordable, Fully-Actuated Biomimetic Hand for Dexterous Teleoperation

Zhaoliang Wan, Zida Zhou, YANGZEHUI, Hao Ding, Senlin Yi, Zetong Bi, Hui Cheng

Keywords: Multi-fingered Hands, Dexterous Manipulation, Teleoperation

Abstract: This paper addresses the scarcity of affordable, fully-actuated five-fingered hands for dexterous teleoperation, essential for collecting large-scale real-robot data in the "Learning from Demonstrations" paradigm. We introduce RAPID Hand, a low-cost, 20-degree-of-actuation (DoA) dexterous hand featuring a novel anthropomorphic actuation and transmission scheme with an optimized motor layout. It includes a universal phalangeal transmission for the non-thumb fingers and an omnidirectional thumb actuation mechanism. Prioritizing affordability, the hand uses 3D-printed parts for easy replacement and repair. We evaluate its performance through quantitative metrics and qualitative testing in three tasks: multi-finger retrieval, ladle handling, and human-like piano playing. The results show that the RAPID Hand’s fully actuated 20-DoF design offers significant potential for dexterous teleoperation. The project will be open-sourced.

Submission Number: 21