  Conventional industrial robots often use two-fingered grippers or suction
cups to manipulate objects or interact with the world. Because of their
simplified design, they are unable to reproduce the dexterity of human hands
when manipulating a wide range of objects. While the control of humanoid hands
evolved greatly, hardware platforms still lack capabilities, particularly in
tactile sensing and providing soft contact surfaces. In this work, we present a
method that equips the skeleton of a tendon-driven humanoid hand with a soft
and sensorized tactile skin. Multi-material 3D printing allows us to
iteratively approach a cast skin design which preserves the robot's dexterity
in terms of range of motion and speed. We demonstrate that a soft skin enables
firmer grasps and piezoresistive sensor integration enhances the hand's tactile
sensing capabilities.
