On August 8, in Beijing, at the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center exhibition area during the 2025 World Robot Conference, a compactly structured rope-driven robot was smoothly performing a series of delicate actions such as grasping and delivering, attracting many spectators.
This is the first rope-driven S1 robot independently developed by the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, whose unique driving method and exquisite design ,mark an important breakthrough for Anhui in the field of embodied intelligence.
The rope-driven S1 robot has a total of 46 degrees of freedom, equipped with various sensing devices such as laser radar, millimeter-wave radar, depth cameras, visual-tactile sensors, and six-dimensional force sensors, enabling multi-dimensional scene and interaction perception. Unlike common rigid-arm robots, the S1 robot uses a 7-degree-of-freedom rope-driven arm. By adding ropes between the motors and joints for transmission, the inherent flexibility and vibration of the ropes reduce impact forces, resulting in a decreasing trend in end contact force.
“If traditional rigid arms construct the skeleton of a robot, then rope-driven arms reshape the robot’s veins,” said Tian Yingmei, the technical leader of the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center’s rope-driven S1 robot project. “Traditional robotic arms transmit force directly through metal linkages, which is straightforward but impactful.” The rope-driven arm uses ropes for transmission, and the softness and vibration of the ropes can achieve a force release effect, making interactions with humans gentler and safer.
Thanks to the safe interaction characteristics of the rope-driven robot, the S1 robot is aimed at service scenarios such as homes, hotels, and retail supermarkets, capable of performing tasks like breakfast preparation, meal delivery, and cleaning and storage, and is expected to become a good “housekeeper” in future households.
Also debuting for the first time is the visual-tactile dexterous hand developed by the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center. This dexterous hand has 20 degrees of freedom, 15 of which are active degrees of freedom, allowing for not only bending but also a certain degree of lateral movement, achieving human-like levels of motion flexibility, capable of mimicking human finger movements to say “no,” spreading five fingers to grasp a balloon, or twisting a bottle cap.
Additionally, the fingertips of the dexterous hand resemble the curves of human hands, with a surface layer of elastic silicone and an integrated high-resolution miniature camera inside. Just as human skin deforms upon contact with objects, the dexterous hand captures minute changes in the elastic silicone layer when in contact with objects, accurately calculating contact positions and forces, and using algorithms to precisely control the force applied to grasp objects, allowing it to handle fragile items like tofu without damage. Furthermore, through the silicone layer, the miniature camera can capture the physical properties of the object’s surface, such as material, texture, and hardness, and even clearly see human fingerprints when in contact with human hands.
In fact, as a relatively independent small system, the integration and spatial deployment of the dexterous hand present significant challenges. The research team has overcome technical difficulties such as the extreme deployment of 15 drive sources and transmission mechanisms in limited spaces, innovative development of force-position touch sensors, and deep integration of multi-source sensing information over eight months of relentless effort, resulting in a highly integrated visual-tactile dexterous hand the size of an adult palm. In the future, it is expected to be applied in various fields such as industrial production, special operations, home services, and medical care.
Relevant personnel from the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center stated that they will continue to adhere to the innovation-driven development philosophy, continuously deepen the innovation and application expansion of robotic technology, and contribute more wisdom and strength to promote the development of the global robotics industry, helping robotic technology better serve human society.
丨 Edited by: Zu Wenting Edited by: Xia Yuqing
丨 Reviewed by: Fang Anqi
丨 Source: Anhui Daily WeChat
Organizer / Anhui Provincial People’s Government Office
Undertaker / Anhui Provincial Government Network Management Center
Co-organizer / Anhui New Media Group
