Abstract: 

Our human hands are masterpieces of power and precision, capable of typing, hammering, or delicately using chopsticks. Yet most robots today still rely on simple two-finger grippers in controlled settings because dexterous hands are costly and difficult to deploy. To close this gap, I will introduce my LEAP Hands, high-performance, low-cost, and easy-to-assemble robotic hands that have become the most widely used platform for dexterous manipulation research. LEAP Hand V1 employs motor-in-joint actuation for simplicity, while V2 introduces a novel hybrid rigid–soft structure that delivers exceptional strength and durability.  I will then show how large-scale human video/motion data and simulation techniques can teach human-like manipulation skills across diverse environments.  By tightly integrating mechanical design and machine learning, my open-source robot hands achieve unprecedented levels of dexterity for a variety of everyday tasks.

Committee:
Prof. Deepak Pathak (advisor)
Prof. Nancy Pollard

Prof. Abhinav Gupta

Prof. Jitendra Malik

Dr. Ankur Handa

A draft of my thesis proposal is available here:

https://kennyshaw.net/phd_thesis_proposal.pdf