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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) logoThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)

PHANTOM Hand

HKUST (Guangzhou) tendon-driven dexterous hand

Research prototype v1

Price
Price unknown
Type
Components · Dexterous Hands
Status
Research prototype
Availability
Not released
Release Date
Mar 24, 2026
Country/Region
China
Latest parameter verification
2026-11-01
6 DOF
Active degrees of freedom
15
Mechanical joint count
5
Finger count

PHANTOM Hand is a five-finger underactuated hand developed by researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), using 6 actuators for 15 joint degrees of freedom. Figure-eight tendon routing couples flexion in the four long fingers; two thumb actuators control flexion and opposition. The paper combines analytical mapping and mechanics-based compensation without additional tension or force sensors for posture reproduction. It reports power grasps, fingertip pinches and tool-holding experiments with scissors and screwdrivers under research conditions.

1 / 1PHANTOM Hand

Technical specifications

Model specifications are shown below. Configuration-specific values are listed separately; missing data does not mean zero or unsupported.

Physical Specifications

Finger count
5
Actuator count
6
Actuator technology
Electric servo actuators
Color
White
Coupled degrees of freedom
9 DOF
Active degrees of freedom
6 DOF
Mechanical joint count
15
Total degrees of freedom
15 DOF
Transmission mechanism
Tendon flexion with direct-drive thumb CMC

Paper v1, Sections I/III-A and Fig.3: the four long fingers and thumb IP/MP flexion use tendons; servo6 is coaxial with the thumb CMC and directly actuates it. The whole-hand architecture combines both mechanisms.

Joint Motion Range
0–92.25 ° (joint-dependent envelope)

This inherited, rounded degree envelope summarizes Table I; it is not a common limit for every joint. The table gives15 separate ranges in radians, from thumb IP maximum0.99 rad to index PIP maximum1.61 rad. Joint-specific values remain in the joint-limit details.

Motion and coordination

Control channel count
6
Coordination architecture
Invertible block-sparse analytical mapping from 6 actuators to 15 joints with mechanics-based compensation
Energy domain
Electric

Mechanical Structure

Dexterous Hand
Five-finger, human-scale, tendon-driven underactuated dexterous hand
Dexterous Hand Model
PHANTOM Hand
Joint Bearing
Bearings at each joint reduce friction
Joint Limit
Thumb IP 0–0.99 rad; MP 0–1.25; index DIP/PIP/MCP 0–1.31/1.61/1.27; middle 0–1.28/1.58/1.24; ring 0–1.29/1.59/1.25; pinky 0–1.25/1.55/1.23; thumb CMC 0–1.57
Joint Type
Four long digits use MCP/PIP/DIP flexion-extension; thumb uses IP/MP flexion-extension and CMC abduction-adduction

Sensors

Calibration
Single-servo sweep calibration with cross-day reassembly retest using unchanged mapping and compensation parameters
Calibration method
Single-sweep calibration plus angle-dependent mechanics-based bias compensation

The single-servo sweep establishes the admissible workspace and mapping. The calibrated vision pipeline is used only for offline joint-angle evaluation, not as an onboard sensor or closed-loop visual controller.

Force/Torque Sensor
No additional tension or force sensors are required for kinematic compensation

The statement concerns the compensation method’s lack of additional tension/force sensors. It does not establish whether every type of tactile sensor is absent. The force gauge and calibrated vision pipeline are external evaluation instruments.

Compute Platform

Software Algorithm
Closed-form geometric mapping with spring counter-tension and tendon-elasticity compensation

Safety and Protection

Human-Robot Safety
Inherent mechanical compliance is retained for stable physical interaction; no safety certification is reported

Development and Expansion

Operating Modes
Free-motion shaping, compliant grasping, power grasp, precision grasp, and tool-use grasp
Secondary Development (SDK)
Hardware CAD, URDF/ROS2 files, and control/calibration scripts released with the paper

The paper’s conclusion states that CAD, URDF/ROS2 and control/calibration files are open-sourced. A separate download repository and installation were not independently verified in this review.

Configurations

Research prototype v1

Communication and control

Control mode
Servo-space PD control

Paper v1, Section IV-A4: servo-space PD, target clipping to the admissible workspace, and driver-level velocity/torque saturation. No control-loop frequency is specified.

Software and resources

CAD availability
Available

The paper reports CAD and URDF/ROS2 release with the research prototype. This source review confirms that statement, not an independently tested download or integration.

ROS compatibility
ROS 2

The paper reports CAD and URDF/ROS2 release with the research prototype. This source review confirms that statement, not an independently tested download or integration.

Commercial Status

Status
Research prototype
Price
Price unknown
Release Date
Mar 24, 2026
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