Fig. 1. Biological inspiration, design, and implementation of the tactile flying gripper.

a The human hand leverages fingers in an antagonistic configuration relative to the thumb (left), which enables grasping objects of varying geometries and sizes while providing tactile feedback along multiple planes and directions. b Our proposed anthropomorphic hand adopts a similar configuration with distributed touch sensing. Nine tactile sensors (${\mathcal{C}}_1$ to ${\mathcal{C}}_9$) are positioned at the center of each phalange, providing a binary contact signal whenever a sensor ${\mathcal{C}}_i$ contacts the environment. The drone body frame of reference, $\mathcal{B}$, is located at the CoM. c The mechanical implementation of the tactile hand is mounted on top of a 4-inch quad frame. We highlight the individual components. Capacitive touch sensor: copper foil connected to a capacitive sensing board provides binary information about touch events. Note that the capacitive sensor on the last phalanx is connected to copper foil on the front and the back of the phalanx, allowing for two-sided contact detection. Motor and tendon tension spool: by tensioning the tendon, the finger opens while the torsional springs in the joints ensure passive closing. All components are operated by a RaspberryPi 5 companion computer and powered by a 4S battery.