Samsung’s Robot Hand — the Precision-Grip Problem of Tendon-Driven Actuation

Key news summary.

Following the launch of its RX business promotion office, Samsung Electronics conducted a demonstration in which a humanoid robot operated a camera directly (to take a photo) at its first management presentation. The robot hand uses a tendon-driven design developed by the Handrang team under the future-robotics promotion group.

■ Equipment perspective impact analysis

The tendon method does not place motors directly at the finger joints but instead drives them remotely through wires. While the fingertip itself stays light, wire-tension deviation and backlash (hysteresis) govern the repeatability of grip precision. For tasks requiring sub-few-mm micro-stroke manipulation, such as operating a camera shutter, hysteresis compensation is the core challenge.

CategoryTendon-drivenDirect joint-drive
Fingertip weightLightRelatively heavy
Force-transmission pathWire (indirect)Motor shaft (direct)
Main error sourcesTension deviation / hysteresisBacklash / gear play
Precision-grip difficultyDepends on compensation algorithmDepends on the mechanism’s own precision

One-line summary. The very mechanism that lightens the hand always shifts the burden onto the control side.

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