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2020 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)

31 May - 31 August, 2020. Paris, France

Design of a Roller-Based Dexterous Hand for Object Grasping and


Within-Hand Manipulation
Shenli Yuan1 , Austin D. Epps2 , Jerome B. Nowak1 , J. Kenneth Salisbury3

Abstract— This paper describes the development of a novel


non-anthropomorphic robot hand with the ability to manipulate
objects by means of articulated, actively driven rollers located
at the fingertips. An analysis is conducted and systems of
equations for two-finger and three-finger manipulation of a
sphere are formulated to demonstrate full six degree of freedom
nonholonomic spatial motion capability. A prototype version of
the hand was constructed and used to grasp and manipulate a
variety of objects. Tests conducted with the prototype confirmed
the validity of the mathematical analysis. Unlike conventional
approaches to within-hand manipulation using legacy robotic
hands, the continuous rotation capability of our rolling finger-
tips allows for unbounded rotation of a grasped object without
the need for finger gaiting.

I. INTRODUCTION
In the pursuit of developing ever more capable robotic
graspers, researchers have sought to match the remarkable
dexterity of the human hand through mechanical means. A Fig. 1. The roller grasper prototype
taxonomy for evaluating the dexterity requirements for an
array of grasping tasks is presented in [1], in which the human hand. The resulting robotic hands, while mechanically
tasks requiring the most dexterity are both prehensile and capable, have not found applications outside of the research
within-hand. These are manipulations in which contact forces lab due to their cost, sophisticated sensing and control
from the hand alone are used to grasp and stabilize the requirements, and the sheer complexity of programming
object, and where motion of the object is generated from the them to perform within-hand manipulation.
modulation of the contact forces between the hand elements Another approach has been to focus on achieving grasping
and the grasped object. A robotic hand with the ability and manipulation capabilities with fewer actuated DoF such
to perform within-hand manipulation possesses the ability as [10], [11], and [12]. Many robotic hands also utilize
to transition from the initial grasp configuration to other under-actuated fingers in order for the hand to passively
grasp configurations, for example, to establish a more secure conform to the shape of the objects being grasped such as
grasp by engaging object surfaces unavailable in the initial [13] and [14]. The use of under-actuated fingers provides
grasp orientation. Theoretical foundations for manipulation increased grasp stability at the cost of reduced controllability,
of objects using multiple points of contact are established in making within-hand manipulation more challenging. Within-
[2], [3], and [4]. hand manipulation using under-actuated fingers is an area of
An extensive review of robotic hand designs in the past ongoing research, with recent examples provided by [15] and
century is presented in [5]. Only a fraction of these hands [16].
have the capacity to perform within-hand manipulation tasks. Highly non-anthropomorphic approaches to within-hand
The Stanford/JPL hand [2] and Utah/MIT hand [6] are manipulation have also been explored such as [17]. The
among the earliest robotic hands possessing within-hand incorporation of actuated conveyor belts was examined in
manipulation capabilities. Because the human hand possesses [18] in order to enhance manipulation capabilities of a
the dexterity to perform within-hand manipulation, attempts robotic grasper. This concept was further explored in recent
have been made to replicate this ability by replicating its works such as [19], [20], [21], and [22]. Conveyor surfaces
structure. Anthropomorphic hands, such as [7], [8], and [9], (or, more generically, “active surfaces”) allow the graspers to
approximate the number of degrees of freedom (DoF) of the impart motion to grasped objects without substantial modifi-
This research was supported, in part, by the Stanford Interdisciplinary
cation of the grasp pose. In these embodiments the conveyor
Graduate Fellowship. orientations are fixed, limiting object motion availability. In
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
some sense our work generalizes these in that we explore
2 Dexterity Systems, LLC
3 Department of Computer Science, Stanford University
imparting motion within a grasp by using active surfaces, in
shenliy@stanford.edu, austin@dexterity.systems, our case rotating cylinders, that can be placed against and
jerome.nowak@stanford.edu, jks@cs.stanford.edu oriented with respect to a grasped object.

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Fig. 2. Modular roller finger in the vertical configuration (left) and
horizontal configuration (right). Locations of joint axes are shown in red.
Fig. 4. 3D Kinematics. Relevant notations are given Table II. Joint angles
for fingers 2 and 3 are defined similarly to finger 1, relative to local frames.
Frame G is fixed to the wrist, and Ai , Bi , Ci are the frames of the links in
finger i. Here θB1 /A1 = −θB2 /A2 = θB3 /A3 = 90◦ .

that they may be used as secondary grasping surfaces. The


parallelogram configuration was selected in order to place the
actuator further from the roller so as to maximize the area of
the roller’s surface that is available for grasping and within-
hand manipulation. The fingertip roller (Fig. 3) is actuated by
a micro DC gearmotor equipped with a quadrature encoder,
and is capable of continuous rotation. The roller is fitted with
Fig. 3. Motorized roller assembly exploded view. Parts 3-5 and the outer a stack of square cross-section neoprene O-rings to provide
race of 2 and 8 rotate with Ci , the others are fixed with Bi (Bi and Ci a high-friction surface for grasping and manipulation. The
defined in Fig. 4)
complete grasper weighs 800 g, and each finger can provide
20 N of normal force at the roller center.
In this work, we developed a grasper with articulated The kinematic configuration and parameterization of the
active rollers at the fingertips, which provide steerable active grasper assembly are shown in Fig. 4. Fingers 1 and 2
surfaces. This allows unbounded rotation of a grasped object are arranged symmetrically and have parallel proximal joint
without the need for finger gaiting in ways not seen in axes. The parallelogram mechanisms of these two fingers are
the state of the art. The design of the grasper is described assembled in mirrored fashion such that when the roller is
in section II. Section III provides analysis of within-hand oriented vertically the vertical links connected to the tops
manipulation in different configurations. Section IV shows of each roller assembly (parallelogram link 2 in Fig. 2) are
various experiments conducted for manipulation and grasp- located on the same side of the grasper. Finger 3 is placed
ing and discusses experimental results. Conclusions and such that its proximal joint axis is orthogonal to the proximal
future work are presented in section V. joint axes of fingers 1 and 2, and this axis is offset from the
II. DESIGN shared midplane of fingers 1 and 2. It is placed such that
when finger 3’s roller is oriented vertically (θB2 /A2 = −90◦ ),
The grasper assembly consists of three kinematically
the axis of the roller lies on the symmetry plane of fingers 1
similar fingers (Fig. 2), each consisting of three actuated
and 2. Finger 3 has a parallelogram mechanism configuration
DoF. The proximal DoF is a revolute joint directly driven
identical to finger 1. Roller pivoting is constrained such that
by a Robotis Dynamixel XM430-W350 smart actuator. The
θB1 /A1 ∈ [0◦ , 90◦ ], θB2 /A2 ∈ [−90◦ , 0◦ ] and θB3 /A3 ∈
intermediate DoF is orthogonal to the proximal DoF, and
[0◦ , 90◦ ]. The configuration described here allows for several
is based on a parallelogram mechanism similar to [23]
grasp and within-hand manipulation modalities which will be
with the input and ground links anchored on the centerline
discussed in the following sections. The physical dimensions
of the parallelogram. The intermediate DoF controls the
of the prototype grasper are given in Table I.
orientation of the fingertip roller, and is actuated by a micro
digital servomotor (Savox SW0250MG). Structural parts are
III. A NALYSIS
made of machined aluminium, 3D printed resin and laser
cut acrylic. Neoprene strips are adhered to the faces of The hand’s multiple degrees of freedom and contact sur-
the two vertical links of the parallelogram mechanism so faces result in a wide range of manipulation and grasping

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TABLE I TABLE III
P HYSICAL D IMENSIONS S PHERE M ANIPULATION D O F VS . ROLLER P IVOT A NGLE

Link a b c r d1 d2 d3 Roller Config. Translation Rotation


Dimension [mm] 186 20 10 15 28 48 83 1 2 3 TX TY TZ RX RY RZ
TABLE II H H × X X X
V V × XRY X XTX X
N OTATION P P × X
V V H X X RX XTZ
Symbol(s) Meaning V V V X X
H H H X
A Point A. Notes: (1) All directions are relative to frame G. (2) V means
A Vector giving the coordinates of A. |θBi /Ai | = 0◦ ; H means |θBi /Ai | = 90◦ ; P means synchronously
XA Unit vector defining the X axis of frame A. If no frame pivoting between H and V ; and × means the finger is not used. (3)
is specified, frame G is used. Subscripts of Xindicate coupled motion and specify its nature.
AU Vector U expressed in frame A. If no frame is specified,
frame G is used.
RX , T X Classes of translations and rotations, respectively, around
vector X.
RXA (θ) 3 × 3 rotation matrix around vector XA of a positive
angle θ using the right hand rule, expressed in frame A.
ΩB/A Rotation velocity vector of frame B relative to frame A.
θB/A Angle of rotation of frame B relative to frame A.

(a) V V H (b) V V V (c) HHH


capabilities. To better understand the extent thereof, we
present a kinematic analysis in the simplified case of 6-DoF
spatial manipulation of a spherical object in contact with the
rollers, with considerations on how further parametrization
and computation could extend our analysis to other object
classes (e.g. the ones manipulated experimentally). See Table (d) HH× (e) V V × (f) P P ×
II and Fig. 4 for notations and parameters used in this section.
Fig. 5. Roller configurations for spherical object manipulation
Here frame G is fixed with ZG pointing vertically up.
A. Sphere Manipulation Configurations replicated using a succession of coupled motions. This is due
Controlling object motion relies on controlling the velocity to the nonholonomic nature of the grasper, much like a car
vector applied at each contact point, which requires carefully indirectly achieves a lateral translation by moving in forward
steering the rollers. For simplicity, constraining each roller and reverse while adjusting steering during parallel parking.
i to a vertical (|θBi /Ai | = 0◦ , abbreviated V ) or horizontal Other examples include uses of nonholonomic dextrous
(|θBi /Ai | = 90◦ , abbreviated H) position, results in eight hands such as [24] and [25].
possible three-finger sphere manipulation configurations, and One should note that V V × is potentially unstable, as the
twelve possible two-finger ones. Considering the symmetri- sphere could roll out due to gravity e.g. during TY , though
cal combinations to be the same, this leaves six distinct three- this is less of a concern for flat-faced objects, or for small
finger and seven two-finger combinations. Of the thirteen objects and large forces thanks to roller surface compliance.
combinations, five were deemed particularly useful for their A support contact with finger 3 can also aid in stabilizing
versatility and/or ease of use. The associated DoF of the the grasp.
sphere when actuating the joints at Ai and Bi are presented Other manipulation configurations not considered here
Table III, assuming no slip. A manipulation configuration is yield unstable, more complex or redundant motions, e.g.
described e.g. by HHV when rollers 1 and 2 are horizontal HV × (unstable) or HV V (couples TY with RZ ). Cases
and roller 3 is vertical, and HV × when roller 1 is horizontal, where θBi /Ai have intermediate values are also possible
2 is vertical and 3 is unused. In addition, there exists a but beyond the scope of this paper. Furthermore, these
useful two-finger manipulation where fingers 1 and 2 pivot motions can analogously be applied to other convex objects
in sync between H and V (abbreviated P ), as it provides as demonstrated in section IV with a six-sided die, though
pure X-rotation and is suitable for switching manipulation depending on their geometry slip might occur or motion
configuration, e.g. as an intermediate step from V V V to availability may be restricted.
HH×. These configurations are illustrated Fig. 5. As a demonstration of how one would control a sphere,
Table III demonstrates that sequentially combining those we present an in-depth analysis of three-finger V V H ma-
six configurations enables full 6-DoF spatial motion of a nipulation and two-finger HH× manipulation.
sphere. While two-finger cases locally cover all DoF, three-
finger manipulation is required for unrestricted X rotation B. Example Three-Finger Manipulation
and better stability. As some DoF are coupled, certain pure Using the homogeneous transformation matrices spec-
motions are not instantaneously achievable, but may be ified in Table IV, a point designated by a vector Ci U

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TABLE IV
of a sphere. A sequence from this simulation is shown in
R EFERENCE F RAME T RANSFORMATIONS
Fig. 6. If the no-slip condition is maintained at the contact
surfaces of fingers 1 and 2, the only translation modality
From To Homogeneous
frame frame transformation matrix available for TZ movement is rolling up and down. To
restrict rolling motion to be around X, the contact points of
RYG (θA1 /G ) −d1 G XG
 
G
G A1 A1 M =
0 0 0 1
fingers 1 and 2 are always symmetrical about the Y -Z plane.
Therefore, a translation TZ induces a rotation RX . The
RZG (π)RYG (θA2 /G ) d2 G XG
 
G
G A2 A2 M = magnitude of RX is inversely proportional to the effective
0 0 0 1

RZG (−π/2)RYG (θA3 /G ) d3 G YG
 rolling motion radius, i.e. the distance between the contact
G
G A3 A3 M = point with finger 1 or 2, and the axis going through D and
0 0 0 1
Ai

RXA (θBi /Ai ) a Ai ZAi
 parallel to X. Thus a smaller effective radius results in more
Ai Bi Bi M = i
rotation RX per unit translation TZ .
0 0 0 1
Bi

RZB (θCi /Bi ) b Bi XBi + c Bi YBi
 In the simulated sequence shown Fig. 6, the rollers of
Bi Ci Ci M = i
fingers 1 and 2 translate the sphere from its initial pose (Fig.
0 0 0 1
6a) a distance of +∆y along Y while finger 3 provides
stabilization (Fig. 6b). The roller of finger 3 is then used to
G  roll the sphere up along the surfaces of fingers 1 and 2 a
U distance of +∆z and an angle ∆θx,1 (Fig. 6c). The effective
in frame Ci can be expressed in frame G: =
C  1 radius R1 of this rolling motion is displayed on the figure
G Ai Bi
i
U as an orange circle. The rollers of fingers 1 and 2 are once
Ai M Bi M Ci M . Let D be a spherical object of radius
1 again used to translate the sphere a distance of −∆y along
R and center D contained within the workspace. Assuming
Y (Fig. 6d). Finally, the roller of finger 3 is used to roll
D is within the grasper workspace, contact between D and
the sphere a distance of −∆z along Z, with effective radius
roller Ci is expressed as:
R2 < R1 and angle −∆θx,2 (Fig. 6e). All throughout this
kZBi × (Ci − D)k = r + R (1) motion, θAi /G,i∈[1,3] are adjusted accordingly. The sphere’s
center has returned to its original position, but has turned an
where angle of ∆θx,f inal = (1/R1 − 1/R2 )∆z < 0. This allows
 
Ci T the effective rolling radius for TZ movement to be changed
= GAi M A MB

B
i
C
i
M 0 0 0 1 (2)
1 i i
independent of TY for successive up/down motions, thereby
Furthermore, assuming there is no slip, the angles of roller creating a nonholonomic circuit where the sphere may be
Ci and object D can be computed using the no-slip condition translated from its initial pose through the circuit, arriving
at their point of contact I: back at the initial cartesian position but with a net change in
rotation RX .
d d
ID∈Ci − ICi ∈D = 0 (3)
dt dt C. Example Two-Finger Manipulation
where ID∈Ci is the point of Ci that is momentarily coincident
with D, and ICi ∈D is the point of D that is momentarily In the HH× configuration, 3-DoF manipulation of a
coincident with Ci , and we choose to compute the derivatives convex object in the X-Z plane is possible using the joints
in the center-of-momentum frame of D (where we assume at A1 , A2 , C1 and C2 . This can be described using (1) and
G is inertial). (3), though the case of a spherical or cylindrical object D can
When θAi /G and θBi /Ai are known, (1) gives a 2D solution be regarded as a 5-bar linkage, whose forward and inverse
space of possible ball positions for each finger, and in kinematics have been explicitly solved in [26] (see Fig. 7).
nondegenerate cases the intersection of all three spaces gives In the interest of implementing these explicit kinematics in
a unique ball position for that configuration. When D is our controller, we adapt the results in [26] to our vector-
known, (1) gives a 1D inverse kinematic solution space for based notations and to the added symmetry of our design.
θAi /G and θBi /Ai , which can be reduced to one or two For known joint angles θA1 /G and θA2 /G we have the forward
discrete joint positions by e.g. imposing θBi /Ai . We further kinematics equation:
discuss the existence of multiple solutions in the case of s
two fingers in III-C. Solving (1) and (3) for all fingers 1 (r + R)2 1
D = (C1 + C2 ) ± (C2 − C1 ) × YG 2

allows us to numerically determine joint positions for within- 2 kC2 − C1 k 4
hand translation and rotation of a ball, and determine which (4)
movements will result in slip so as to avoid them. General- A positive sign in (4) has the ball resting on top of the rollers,
izing to manipulating an arbitrary convex shape leaves (3) while a negative sign has it below, held only by friction.
unchanged, and requires a 3D parametric equation of said For a given ball position D, there are two possible joint
shape to adapt (1) as well as considering object orientation. angles at A1 and A2 , given by the law of cosines:
A 3D kinematic simulation showing the manipulation π
configuration V V H was performed in MATLAB in the case θAi /G = ± αi (D) − βi (D) − γ (5)
2

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(a) Original pose (b) Step 1: +TY (c) Step 2: +TZ , +RX (d) Step 3: -TY (e) Step 4: -TZ , -RX
Fig. 6. Side view of 3D kinematic simulation demonstrating within-hand manipulation of a sphere. The path of the sphere center is shown by the red
line segments, and the purple axes are fixed in C3 . The effective radius of the rolling motion involving RX and TZ is given by the orange circle, and is
different between steps 2 and 4, resulting in a net rotation.

with (5), (10) and (11), which allows full 3-DoF planar
motion.

IV. E XPERIMENTS AND D ISCUSSION


A proof-of-concept modular prototype (Fig. 1) was made
to validate the analysis in section III and further explore
manipulation and grasping capabilities. We mounted three
roller finger modules (Fig. 2) on two different bases in
identical finger configurations. Base types were a benchtop
variant with ZG pointing up, and a variant designed to be
mounted on a Universal Robots UR5 robotic arm.

A. Manipulation
All manipulation configurations referenced in Table III
and Fig. 5 were experimentally validated with a range
Fig. 7. 2D Kinematics
of sphere sizes, thus demonstrating fully controlled 6-DoF
manipulation by transitioning between said configurations.
where, with i in {1, 2},
Furthermore, we successfully applied these capabilities to
kCi − Ai k2 − (r + R)2 + kD − Ai k2
 
nonspherical objects of varying size, hardness and aspect
αi (D) = arccos
2kCi − Ai kkD − Ai k ratio, such as a six-sided die (Fig. 9), a sheet of paper,
(6) the interior surface of a ring (Fig. 8a) or an open top
βi (D) = | atan2 ((D − Ai ) · ZG , (D − Ai ) · XG )| (7) box (Fig. 8b). The V V V configuration was also used to
unscrew a bottle cap, with the threading pushing the cap
γ = atan2 (b, a + c) (8)
p up so it slipped vertically along the inside of the rollers.
kCi − Ai k = (a + c)2 + b2 (9) This pushes the fingers apart while maintaining contact via
Only one set of finger positions provides the most secure force control. Generally speaking, the hand can achieve
grasp with continuous manipulation capabilities. The follow- controlled manipulation of objects with simple geometric
ing constraints narrow down the solutions to a negative sign features (further demonstrated in the complementary video).
in (5) for both fingers, and reduce the workspace D can be For fingertips without continuous rolling capabilities, mo-
in: tions like rotating a ball or turning a threaded object (e.g.
a screw or bottle cap) are typically done by gaiting, which
• viewed from above, the center of gravity of the sphere
involves breaking and re-establishing contact between the
should be between rollers 1 and 2;
fingers and the object. This motion can be complex to
• the fingers should be applying forces toward each other
control, especially in the case of prehensile manipulation.
in order to maintain a secure grasp.
In comparison, the grasper described here is particularly
Equations (4) and (5) give forward and inverse kinematic efficient for this. Manipulation from inside an object is also
relationships between the positions of the fingers and that of a less common modality, which is enabled here by having
the center of the ball. To take into account the rotations of most of the roller perimeter exposed, allowing the grasper to
D, C1 and C2 , we need only write the no-slip condition (3) further extend its manipulation capabilities beyond its size
in this simplified case: limitations by fitting large objects around the outside of the
R θ̇D/G = r(θ̇C1 /B1 − θ̇A1 /G ) + (r + R)θ̇DC1 (10) fingers (e.g. in the case of an open top box).
R θ̇D/G = r(−θ̇C2 /B2 + θ̇A2 /G ) + (r + R)θ̇DC2 (11) B. Grasping
where θDCi is the angle between the vectors XG and Ci −D, In addition to performing within-hand manipulation tasks,
counted positively towards YG . the presence of actively driven rolling fingertips offers ben-
We now have explicitly formulated 3-DoF planar forward efits for grasping objects of different sizes, shapes, and
kinematics with (4), (10) and (11), and inverse kinematics properties. Several of the grasp techniques explored involve

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(a) V V × (b) HH×(box) (c) HH×(regular) (d) HH×(thin) (e) HH×(soft) (f) P P H(regular) (g) P P H(box) (h) HHH
Fig. 8. Other roller configurations (Fig. 8a for manipulation; 8b for manipulation and grasping; the rest for grasping)

a series of motions before a certain pose can be achieved


(e.g. rolling an object in the Z direction in the HH×
configuration).
2) Slipping: The object might slip when there is not
enough contact area or contact points with the rollers,
causing inaccuracy in the manipulation. This can happen for
objects with sharp edges, or inherently unstable grasps such
as the V H× configuration.
3) Power Grasping: Although each finger has three DoF,
two of them are dedicated to controlling roller motions, and
only one controls general finger pose. While the grasper
performs well in pinch grasp (especially with the added
Fig. 9. Manipulation of a six-sided die to show all faces of a cube.
Transitions are, in sequence from left to right, top to bottom: V V H(RX help of rollers), this makes conforming to an object’s shape
& TZ ), V V V (RZ ), V V V (RZ ), V V V (RZ ), P P × (RX )) difficult, hence power grasp is not possible except for a small
subset of objects (e.g. thin and long shapes which can be
operating the rollers in a counter-rotating manner such that constrained between straight fingers).
the grasped object is drawn into the grasper, allowing an
object to be picked up without the assistance of external
motion provided by a robot arm. V. CONCLUSIONS & FUTURE WORK
Figure 8 includes a list of grasp modalities we were able
to perform successfully. These include: This paper describes the preliminary design and control
of a robot hand that can manipulate objects by using the
• Picking up and manipulating a box via its inner faces
rolling motion of reorientable powered cylindrical fingertips.
using two fingers in the horizontal orientation (Fig. 8b).
With three modular 3-DoF fingers, we demonstrate full 6-
• Picking up a box via its exterior faces (Fig. 8c).
DoF spatial manipulation of objects with simple geometry
• Utilizing one roller for pre-grasp sliding manipulation
such as a sphere, a cube or a marker, as well as various
[27] to direct a thin object to the edge of a constraining
grasping modalities. The system however is nonholonomic,
surface where a second fingertip may establish a pinch
in that it cannot move an object in an arbitrary direction
grasp on the object (Fig. 8d).
instantaneously - the cylinders must be aligned correctly
• Grasping a flexible object, such as a piece of fabric,
before we can proceed with arbitrary motion. This constraint
by taking advantage of its capacity for deformation. By
could be removed by using spherical fingertips able to rotate
operating the rollers in a counter-rotating manner while
in two independent directions. While analysis involving the
engaged with the flexible item, it is possible to draw
Jacobian (or more properly, the Grasp Matrix [2]) is required
the item into the rollers (Fig. 8e).
for controlling grasp forces and object differential motions,
• Using the interior surfaces of the parallelogram mech-
it is beyond the scope of this preliminary study. The hand we
anism vertical members of fingers 1 and 2 to provide
presented takes a decidedly non-anthropomorphic approach
motion on one side of an item, and the roller of finger
to within-hand manipulation. It raises interesting questions
3 to provide motion on the opposite surface (Fig. 8f).
about control and planning, as well as mechanism design.
• Using the exterior surfaces of the parallelogram mecha-
Future work includes developing various control schemes for
nism vertical members of fingers 1 and 2 and the roller
controlled slipping during three-finger manipulation, analysis
of finger 3 to manipulate a box via its interior faces
of the roller grasper workspace and dynamics, and redesign
(Fig. 8g).
of the finger and roller mechanism.
• Grasping and manipulating a box via its interior faces
using all three fingers for a more stable grasp (Fig. 8h).
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
C. Limitations
1) Nonholonomic Nature: The system is nonholonomic, The authors would like to express their appreciation to
as the grasped object cannot be moved in an arbitrary Keven Wang and UnitX, Inc. for use of their robot and
direction instantaneously. The object may need to go through facilities during our experimental validations.

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