Manipulation

In-Hand Manipulation

In-hand manipulation is the repositioning or reorientation of an object within a hand without setting it down or regrasping with the other hand, using finger gaiting, rolling, and controlled sliding. OpenAI's Dactyl demonstrated learned in-hand cube reorientation with a Shadow Hand trained in simulation with domain randomization, and subsequent work has achieved similar skills with cheaper hands and touch sensing.

Why it matters for physical AI

Tool use routinely requires adjusting grip mid-task, so in-hand skills are a prerequisite for general manipulation and a stress test for sim-to-real transfer of dexterous policies.