The House of Dextra framework was created by researchers at UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara as an open-source dexterous hand platform capable of sim-to-real deployment in under 24 hours. The associated research paper describes a cross-embodied co-design framework that jointly optimizes robotic hand morphology and dexterous control policies across multiple embodiments.

Instead of optimizing a single fixed robot hand, House of Dextra evaluates families of manipulators with different finger counts, palm layouts, and kinematic structures. The result is a modular research platform capable of exploring how morphology itself affects dexterity.

The 3-finger, 4-finger, and 5-finger variants help researchers study how physical embodiment changes manipulation behavior. A reduced-finger hand lowers cost and complexity, while a 5-finger hand gives the system a richer set of contact strategies for in-hand manipulation.

Because the entire platform is modular and open-source, builders can experiment with different finger counts, palm geometries, and fingertip structures while remaining within a shared DYNAMIXEL ecosystem.

The baseline 5-finger build uses 20 DYNAMIXEL XL330-M288-T actuators. Reduced-finger variants lower the actuator count and make it easier to prototype different embodiments before committing to a full hand.

The build guide covers printed palm components, servo holders, lever holders, washers, fingertips, DYNAMIXEL ID assignment, cable routing, U2D2 connection, expansion boards, and joint limit setup. This makes the platform approachable for researchers and builders who want a reproducible starting point.

The standard 5-finger configuration uses 20 DYNAMIXEL XL330-M288-T actuators. This actuator choice is central to the platform because dexterous robotic hands require many compact joints operating within extremely constrained mechanical envelopes.

For builders who want a more robust compact actuator option, the XC330-M288-T provides a compatible metal gear alternative, while the XC330-T288-T offers a compact 12V-class option for higher-voltage systems.

The bundle includes 20 DYNAMIXEL XL330-M288-T servos, Robot Cable-X3P cables, expansion boards, a U2D2 communication interface, and the U2D2 Power Hub Board Set. The package is designed to pair directly with the publicly available House of Dextra documentation, CAD files, and software.

This makes the bundle particularly valuable for robotics researchers, educators, students, and developers who want to begin experimenting with dexterous robotic hands without spending time individually sourcing every actuator and communication component.

House of Dextra was created by Kehlani Fay, Darin Djapri, Anya Zorin, James Clinton, Ali El Lahib, Hao Su, Michael T. Tolley, Sha Yi, and Xiaolong Wang from UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.