# RBO Hand 3 -- A Platform for Soft Dexterous Manipulation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10883 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.10883/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 26 Jan 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Dexterous Imitation Made Easy: A Learning-Based Framework for Efficient Dexterous Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.13251/) (2022)
- [SoftZoo: A Soft Robot Co-design Benchmark For Locomotion In Diverse Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.09555/) (2023)
- [RUKA: Rethinking the Design of Humanoid Hands with Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13165/) (2025)
- [Continual Policy Distillation of Reinforcement Learning-based Controllers for Soft Robotic In-Hand Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04219/) (2024)
- [emg2tendon: From sEMG Signals to Tendon Control in Musculoskeletal Hands](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.08269/) (2025)
- [Ruka-v2: Tendon Driven Open-Source Dexterous Hand with Wrist and Abduction for Robot Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.26660/) (2026)
- [Probing an Embodied LLM: When Higher Observation Fidelity Hurts Problem Solving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.20072/) (2026)
- [Robust In-Hand Manipulation via Priors in Reinforcement Learning and Mechanical Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.12105/) (2026)
- [The Role of Touch: Towards Optimal Tactile Sensing Distribution in Anthropomorphic Hands for Dexterous In-Hand Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.14984/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present the RBO Hand 3, a highly capable and versatile anthropomorphic soft hand based on pneumatic actuation. The RBO Hand 3 is designed to enable dexterous manipulation, to facilitate transfer of insights about human dexterity, and to serve as a robust research platform for extensive real-world experiments. It achieves these design goals by combining many degrees of actuation with intrinsic compliance, replicating relevant functioning of the human hand, and by combining robust components in a modular design. The RBO Hand 3 possesses 16 independent degrees of actuation, implemented in a dexterous opposable thumb, two-chambered fingers, an actuated palm, and the ability to spread the fingers. In this work, we derive the design objectives that are based on experimentation with the hand's predecessors, observations about human grasping, and insights about principles of dexterity. We explain in detail how the design features of the RBO Hand 3 achieve these goals and evaluate the hand by demonstrating its ability to achieve the highest possible score in the Kapandji test for thumb opposition, to realize all 33 grasp types of the comprehensive GRASP taxonomy, to replicate common human grasping strategies, and to perform dexterous in-hand manipulation.