Approach for real in-hand dexterity evaluation: application to the RoBioSS hand


 The development of flexible multi-digital grippers with both adaptive grasping and in-hand manipulation capabilities remains a complex issue for human-like dexterous manipulation. After four decades of research in dexterous manipulation, many robotic hands have been developed. The evaluation of these hands remains a key challenge. The design of the hand (degree of actuation, number of fingers and joints) does not guarantee the real behavior of the hand and its performances. For comparison and evaluation purpose, the literature often refers to a potential dexterity, but very rarely provides an evaluation of the real dexterity of these grippers. The RoBioSS hand offers a high level of dexterity with inside-hand manipulation capabilities. In order to characterize the performance of the hand with regard to the state of the art, the paper proposes an approach based on dexterity analysis. It is based on the use of a known reference object and on defined grasps and movements of the object. The results presented allow us to evaluate grasps capabilities and quality of the objects movement inside hand.