published journal article

A Direct Rigid Transmission 2-DoF Wrist Extension for Tendon-Driven Hand

Publication Date

September 19, 2026

Author(s)

Yujie Pang, Sadman Sakib, Mohammad Al Faruque

Abstract

Dexterous manipulation in confined spaces requires local control of hand orientation. Without a wrist, a dexterous hand must obtain this local orientation through coordinated motion of the robot arm, often involving several joints and a more complex end-effector path. We present CRAFT-Wrist, a concentric 2-DoF wrist extension that mounts between a robot arm and the CRAFT Hand without modifying the hand. Two XC430-T240BB-T servos drive sideways and front-back rotation through short rigid transmissions. Our initial hardware prototype actuates both axes under load, achieving a demonstrated workspace of $pm20^{circ}$ in radial–ulnar deviation (left–right) and a front-back range of $+80^{circ}$ in flexion and $-18^{circ}$ in extension. We characterize the resulting finger-motor loading across several wrist postures and demonstrate how the wrist supplies local orientation in grasping, nail hammering, and blackboard wiping. Demonstrations and assembly instructions are available at https://craft-wrist.github.io/.

Suggested Citation
Yujie Pang, Sadman Sakib and Mohammad Abdullah Al Faruque (2026) “A Direct Rigid Transmission 2-DoF Wrist Extension for Tendon-Driven Hand”. Available at: 10.48550/ARXIV.2609.22681.