What question did this study set out to answer?

To create a lightweight humanoid robot capable of high-speed pitching by mimicking human finger motions.

March 26, 2026Open Access

Development of a Pitching Humanoid Robot Based on the Motions of a Human Pitcher

RARiku AokiWaseda University TMTaiki MishimaWaseda University YNYuri NakazawaWaseda University

Key Points

To create a lightweight humanoid robot capable of high-speed pitching by mimicking human finger motions.
Developed a lightweight hand motion mechanism for pitching.
Designed motor-less fingers with adjustable stiffness.
Implemented a mechanism for fixing and releasing PIP angles of fingers during ball grasping and spinning.
Conducted pitching experiments to test robot functionality.
The robot successfully grasped the ball and applied spin.
Pitching speed and motion were comparable to human techniques.

Abstract

Lightweight hand motion mechanism was developed to achieve high speed pitching. It is indicated that humans have increased fingers stiffness when putting a spin on a ball. By focusing on this feature, fingers have been made motor-less and lightweight. Specifically, the mechanism that fixing PIP angles of index and middle fingers when grasping a ball and switching to elastic joints by release fixation when putting a spin on the ball was developed. Stiffness was considered from a finger model when pitching a fast ball. Pitching experiments confirmed that the robot was able to grasp a ball and put a spin on the ball.

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