MuxHand: A Cable-Driven Dexterous Robotic Hand Using Time-Division Multiplexing Motors

1 Jianle Xu, Shoujie Li, Hong Luo, Wenbo Ding, Houde Liu, and Xueqian Wang are with Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
2 Chongkun Xia is with School of Advanced Manufacturing, Sun Yat-sen University, shenzhen 518107, China

*Indicates Equal Contribution.

Corresponding authors: Houde Liu (liu.hd@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn).

Abstract

Abstract—The number of motors directly influences the dexterity, size, and cost of a robotic hand. In this paper, we present MuxHand, a robotic hand that utilizes a time-division multiplexing motor (TDMM) mechanism. This system enables independent control of 9 cables with just 4 motors, significantly reducing both cost and size while maintaining high dexterity. To enhance stability and smoothness during grasping and manipulation tasks, we integrate magnetic joints into the three 3Dprinted fingers. These joints provide impact resistance, resetting capabilities. The three fingers together have a total of 30 degrees of freedom (DOF), 18 of which are passive DOF, allowing the hand to conform closely to the surface of an object during grasping. We conduct a series of experiments to assess the performance parameters of MuxHand, including its grasping and manipulation capabilities. The results show that the TDMM mechanism precisely controls each cable connected to the finger joints, enabling robust grasping and dexterous manipulation. Furthermore, compared to the traditional approach of assigning a motor to each active DOF, the cost is reduced by 42.06%. The maximum load of a single finger reaches 7.0 kg, the maximum load at the finger joint root is 12.0 kg, the maximum driving force at the joint root is 5.0 kg, and the maximum fingertip force is 10.0 N.

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