Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. Spatially distributed biomimetic compliance enables robust anthropomorphic robotic manipulation
 
research article

Spatially distributed biomimetic compliance enables robust anthropomorphic robotic manipulation

Junge, Kai  
•
Hughes, Josie  
April 26, 2025
Communications Engineering

The impressive capabilities of humans to robustly perform manipulation stems from compliant interactions, enabled by the structure and materials distributed in the hands. We propose that mimicking this spatially distributed compliance in an anthropomorphic robotic hand enhances open-loop manipulation robustness and leads to human-like behaviors. Here we introduce the ADAPT Hand, equipped with configurable compliant elements on the skin, fingers, and wrist. After quantifying the effect of compliance on individual components against a rigid configuration, we experimentally analyze the performance of the full hand. Through automated pick-and-place tests, we show the grasping robustness mirrors the estimated geometric theoretical limit, while stress-testing the robot to perform 800+ grasps. Finally, 24 items with varying geometries are grasped in a constrained environment with a 93% success rate. We demonstrate that the hand-object self-organization behavior, driven by passive adaptation, underpins this robustness. The hand exhibits different grasp types based on object geometries, with a 68% similarity to natural human grasps.

  • Files
  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
research article
DOI
10.1038/s44172-025-00407-4
Author(s)
Junge, Kai  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Hughes, Josie  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Date Issued

2025-04-26

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Published in
Communications Engineering
Volume

4

Issue

1

Article Number

76

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
CREATE-LAB  
Available on Infoscience
May 7, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/249945
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés