# A Taxonomy of Self-Handover

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.04939 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.04939/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 18 of its 32 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 7 Apr 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [Stein Variational Gradient Descent: A General Purpose Bayesian Inference Algorithm](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.04471/) (2016)
- [Hilbert Space Methods for Reduced-Rank Gaussian Process Regression](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1401.5508/) (2014)
- [Informed RRT*: Optimal Sampling-based Path Planning Focused via Direct Sampling of an Admissible Ellipsoidal Heuristic](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1404.2334/) (2014)
- [A Stein variational Newton method](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.03085/) (2018)
- [Continuous-Time Gaussian Process Motion Planning via Probabilistic Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.07383/) (2017)
- [Stein Variational Model Predictive Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.07641/) (2020)
- [Accelerating Motion Planning via Optimal Transport](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.15970/) (2023)
- [Sampling in Constrained Domains with Orthogonal-Space Variational Gradient Descent](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.06447/) (2022)
- [Constrained Stein Variational Trajectory Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.12110/) (2023)
- [Newton methods for k-order Markov Constrained Motion Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1407.0414/) (2014)
- [Entropy Regularized Motion Planning via Stein Variational Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.05146/) (2021)
- [NLP Sampling: Combining MCMC and NLP Methods for Diverse Constrained Sampling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.03035/) (2024)
- [Combined Sampling and Optimization Based Planning for Legged-Wheeled Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.04247/) (2021)
- [Stein Variational Ergodic Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11767/) (2024)
- [Approximating Constraint Manifolds Using Generative Models for Sampling-Based Constrained Motion Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.06791/) (2022)
- [Global Tensor Motion Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.19393/) (2024)
- [Geometric Constraints in Probabilistic Manifolds: A Bridge from Molecular Dynamics to Structured Diffusion Processes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.04493/) (2023)
- [Second-Order Stein Variational Dynamic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.04644/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Self-handover, transferring an object between one's own hands, is a common but understudied bimanual action. While it facilitates seamless transitions in complex tasks, the strategies underlying its execution remain largely unexplored. Here, we introduce the first systematic taxonomy of self-handover, derived from manual annotation of over 12 hours of cooking activity performed by 21 participants. Our analysis reveals that self-handover is not merely a passive transition, but a highly coordinated action involving anticipatory adjustments by both hands. As a step toward automated analysis of human manipulation, we further demonstrate the feasibility of classifying self-handover types using a state-of-the-art vision-language model. These findings offer fresh insights into bimanual coordination, underscoring the role of self-handover in enabling smooth task transitions-an ability essential for adaptive dual-arm robotics.