Hand exoskeletons, robotic hands, and teleoperation - Interview with Antonia Tzemanaki

In this talk

1. 2:03

   Research across healthcare and hazardous settings

   Tzemanaki’s group studies dexterous robots, touch sensing and wearable devices, with projects in healthcare and difficult environments. Examples include robot-assisted biopsies, surgical training models and remote work in nuclear facilities or space. She says the group gathers feedback from clinicians, operators and the public throughout its projects.

2. 4:52

   A sensorized system for breast examination

   Project Artemis explored a platform for more frequent breast checks, with the aim of making screening easier to access. Its soft, air-powered sensors can adjust their stiffness to examine both the surface and deeper tissue, producing a three-dimensional map of stiffness. Two holder designs, Iris and the softer, flower-inspired Lotus, were developed with input from 12 women; Tzemanaki estimates clinic use may be at least 15 years away.

3. 10:09

   Tracking hand movement for teleoperation

   Tzemanaki describes hand exoskeletons developed to measure finger joints and wrist motion, including a precise but bulky version using Hall effect sensors. Her group is also developing softer, lower-cost designs that can be fitted to different hand sizes. She argues that measuring many joint movements preserves detail that can later be simplified when controlling a robot or virtual hand.

4. 14:30

   Trust, feedback and communication delays

   Interviews with operators in surgery, nuclear work and underwater operations found shared needs for accuracy, touch feedback and confidence in the system. Industrial operators wanted detailed knowledge of system limits, while surgeons relied more on trust in the organization providing the system. Space communication delays can reach about two seconds; Tzemanaki says haptic feedback helps only up to a point, and longer delays may call for shared autonomy.

5. 20:15

   Soft sensory skin for prosthetics

   The group also works on prosthetics with Bristol colleagues. A PhD student is developing soft sensory skin, with the goal of reducing prosthetic rejection. The work applies fundamental research in sensing to a healthcare need.