In-Hand Manipulation: Finger Gaiting Simulator

In-Hand Manipulation

Target rotation 120°

Gait speed 1.0×

Grasp stability100%

Phase

Idle

Finger gaiting

–

Object angle

0°

Cycles done

How it works

A three-fingered hand grips a cube using force closure — each fingertip presses with enough friction that the combined contact forces resist gravity and any small disturbance from every direction. To rotate the object past the small angle the wrist alone can reach, the hand uses finger gaiting: one finger at a time releases its contact, swings to a new position further along the object's surface, and re-presses — like a hand rolling a pen between fingers. While one finger is mid-transfer, only two contacts hold the object, so the stability metric dips; once the third finger re-lands, force closure is restored and the object has advanced a few degrees. Repeating this release-relocate-reclose cycle lets the hand accumulate rotation far beyond a single grasp's reach, without ever setting the object down.

stability ≈ Σ (frictionForce_i · normal_i) vs. objectWeight
if activeContacts < 3: stability drops sharply
gaitCycle: release(finger_k) → reposition → reclose → verify closure

Target rotation — total angle the object should be reoriented through; larger targets require more finger-gaiting cycles.
Gait speed — how fast each finger's release-move-reclose transfer plays out.
Grasp stability — live estimate of whether current finger contacts can resist the object's weight; it dips whenever a finger is mid-transfer and only two contacts remain.

Real-world relevance: in-hand manipulation via finger gaiting lets dexterous robot hands reorient parts, tools and packages without repeatedly setting them down and re-grasping — a capability real assembly and warehouse-picking robots still struggle to match human dexterity on.

rotation: 0.0° / 120°

Palm Finger (contact) Finger (releasing) Grasped object

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