Kilohertz-Safe: A Scalable Framework for Constrained Dexterous Retargeting

arXiv cs.RO / 4/1/2026

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Key Points

  • The paper presents Kilohertz-Safe, a scalable framework for dexterous hand motion retargeting that targets kilohertz-level real-time performance under heterogeneous kinematic and safety constraints.
  • It reformulates the typically nonlinear retargeting problem into a convex quadratic program in joint differential space to improve computational efficiency and numerical stability.
  • The method systematically linearizes heterogeneous constraints such as kinematic limits and collision avoidance, enabling practical deployment for fast control.
  • It integrates control barrier functions to deliver formal safety guarantees during the retargeting process.
  • Experiments on the Wuji Hand platform show low average latency (9.05 ms) and high safety compliance (over 95% of frames), outperforming prior approaches like Dex-Retargeting and GeoRT in simulations and hardware tests.

Abstract

Dexterous hand teleoperation requires motion re-targeting methods that simultaneously achieve high-frequency real-time performance and enforcement of heterogeneous kinematic and safety constraints. Existing nonlinear optimization-based approaches often incur prohibitive computational cost, limiting their applicability to kilohertz-level control, while learning-based methods typically lack formal safety guarantees. This paper proposes a scalable motion retargeting framework that reformulates the nonlinear retargeting problem into a convex quadratic program in joint differential space. Heterogeneous constraints, including kinematic limits and collision avoidance, are incorporated through systematic linearization, resulting in improved computational efficiency and numerical stability. Control barrier functions are further integrated to provide formal safety guarantees during the retargeting process. The proposed framework is validated through simulations and hardware experiments on the Wuji Hand platform, outperforming state-of-the-art methods such as Dex-Retargeting and GeoRT. The framework achieves high-frequency operation with an average latency of 9.05 ms, while over 95% of retargeted frames satisfy the safety criteria, effectively mitigating self-collision and penetration during complex manipulation tasks.