Robotic Hand Tool Use with Contact-Based Demonstration: The Case of Cucumber Peeling
Lingzi Xie, Shuai Wang, Jingxiang Chen, Bidan Huang, Yi Zhang, Sicheng Yang, Yuyuan Chen, Wang Wei Lee
Abstract
Robotic hand tool use has garnered significant attention from robotics researchers, because it enhances dexterity beyond the limitations imposed by manipulators with fixed tool configurations and human-involved manual tool changes. Despite extensive research, current methodologies predominantly focus on imitating human hand trajectories, often neglecting the pivotal role of tool-environment interaction. This study addresses this gap by exploring the task of cucumber peeling as a case study to implement contact-based demonstration strategies in robotic tool use. Our approach concentrates on the subtle tool contact behaviors that manifest through contact dynamics. Specifically, we select appropriate tool stiffness for the peeling tasks, which is captured via a handheld teaching device equipped with optical tactile sensors. Subsequently, object-level stiffness control strategies are employed to emulate these behaviors using a three-fingered robotic hand. Experimental results from real-world cucumber peeling trials substantiate our methodology, illustrating that the robotic hand can adjust contact through finger movements, thereby achieving humanlike peeling efficiency without necessitating alterations to the tool structure. This study not only demonstrates the feasibility of sophisticated tool use by robotic hands, but also highlights the critical importance of integrating tactile feedback to refine interaction with the environment.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{iros2025_robotichandtoolu,
title = {Robotic Hand Tool Use with Contact-Based Demonstration: The Case of Cucumber Peeling},
author = {Lingzi Xie and Shuai Wang and Jingxiang Chen and Bidan Huang and Yi Zhang and Sicheng Yang and Yuyuan Chen and Wang Wei Lee and Jialong Yang and Tianliang Liu and Yu Zheng and Chenguang Yang},
booktitle = {IROS 2025},
year = {2025}
}