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Effector Lab

Which effector

Which effector for the pipe tee?

Every available effector family grasped the pipe tee (60 x 44 x 29 mm, 40 g) on the same four placements and two seeds; the best two of each group were certified on the same 18 tests. The headline asks for a registered grasp: lifted, held 2 s and back in the same pose (within 0.75 mm, 2 deg) whatever the placement error.

Recommendation

Recommended (registered)

Parallel jaw, flat pad

Parallel jawCoreprimitive jaw

Highest registered certificate score of the 4 eligible candidates (0.68, next 0.56), tolerating 0 mm placement error across and 3 mm along the closing axis.

Certificate (registered)
0.68 (11/18 tests)
Certificate (held)
0.83
Placement tolerance
0 mm across, ±3 mm along
Screen
25% registered, 100% held of 8
Actuators
1
Mass
28 g
Declared limits
Grip force 50 N

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

If held is enough

Parallel jaw, flat pad

Parallel jawCoreprimitive jaw

Highest held certificate score of the 4 eligible candidates (0.83, next 0.67), tolerating 3 mm placement error on both axes.

Certificate (held)
0.83 (17/18 tests)
Certificate (registered)
0.68
Placement tolerance
±3 mm both axes
Screen
25% registered, 100% held of 8
Actuators
1
Mass
28 g
Declared limits
Grip force 50 N

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

The finalists, side by side

One condition for every lane: 3 mm off centre across (train_v2/pipe_tee/c2, seed 7971180315555799254), on one clock. Each lane re-ran its scored screen episode with recording on and reproduced it bit for bit. Bodies are drawn from the collision shapes the simulator used.

t 00.00 / 00.00 s

Phase Settle

  1. Settle
  2. Descend
Recommended · Best for held · Best ReferenceParallel jaw, flat pad

Loading replay

Parallel jaw, flat pad: Held, not registered. Peak lift 149.9 mm.

Parallel jawCoreHeld: yes · Registered: no
Best CatalogThree-finger adaptive gripper, pinch

Loading replay

Three-finger adaptive gripper, pinch: Held, not registered. Peak lift 150.0 mm.

Industrial gripperRigid modelHeld: yes · Registered: no
Best Soft armSoft arm, 16 segments, 160 mm

Loading replay

Soft arm, 16 segments, 160 mm: Pushed away on close. Peak lift 0.9 mm.

Soft armApproximationHeld: no · Registered: no
Best SuctionSuction cup, 16 mm bellows

Loading replay

Suction cup, 16 mm bellows: Missed grasp. Peak lift 0.0 mm.

Suction cupApproximationHeld: no · Registered: no
Best Designed (Nemotron)Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93

Loading replay

Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93: Held, not registered. Peak lift 156.6 mm.

Designed morphologyRigid modelHeld: yes · Registered: no
Best Random controlDesigned soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mm

Loading replay

Designed soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mm: Missed grasp. Peak lift 0.0 mm.

Soft armApproximationHeld: no · Registered: no

Families

Parallel jaw

Core

The open-source parallel gripper of the core experiment, with its entrant fingers.

Best here: Parallel jaw, flat pad · screen 25% registered, 100% held

3 candidates, 3 screened

The core experiment's own scene, checks and scorer. Registration is measured against the jaw's centre line.

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

Multi-finger hand

Rigid model

Open multi-finger hand models, palm down, closed by scripted power and pinch synergies.

Best here: Five-finger 18-actuator hand, pinch · screen 0% registered, 0% held

6 candidates, 6 screened

Simplified rigid models with no skin compliance, driven by scripted open-to-closed synergies: no tactile feedback, no regrasp. Actuator limits are the upstream model's. Rubber pads would grip better than the part's mu 0.3 used here, so results are conservative for padded hands.

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

Industrial gripper

Rigid model

Open two-finger grippers and procedural two- and three-finger adaptive grippers.

Best here: Three-finger adaptive gripper, pinch · screen 38% registered, 88% held

6 candidates, 6 screened

Rigid models with the upstream actuator limits; the adaptive grippers are our own geometry. Scripted closing, no tactile feedback.

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

Soft arm

Approximation

An octopus-style tentacle: spring-jointed segments curled by a cable.

Best here: Designed soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mm · screen 0% registered, 0% held

4 candidates, 4 screened

Approximation: a chain of rigid capsules with spring-damper joints, curled by a tension-limited cable. Not modelled: continuum mechanics, material non-linearity, suckers. Verify on hardware.

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

Suction cup

Approximation

A suction cup on a short bellows, its vacuum switched on only while the lip seals.

Best here: Designed suction cup, 30 mm · screen 0% registered, 0% held

5 candidates, 5 screened

Approximation: the seal is a geometric test gating an adhesion actuator capped at vacuum times lip area. Not modelled: air flow, leaks, porosity, vacuum build-up time, lip hysteresis. Treat as a screen, then verify on hardware.

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

Designed morphology

Rigid model

Fingered morphologies proposed by Nemotron, with a random control from the same space.

Best here: Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93 · screen 0% registered, 75% held

5 candidates, 5 screened

Rigid models generated from a recipe and driven by scripted synergies. The random control from the same space is shown beside the Nemotron designs; no superiority is claimed.

Product mode: not part of the pre-registered experiment

Ranking (registered)

Eligible: certified, the nominal grasp passes, no simulator reset and no penetration over 1 mm in the nominal test. Ranked by certificate score, then the smaller placement tolerance, then screen success; within 0.05 and the same tolerance the simpler effector wins (fewer actuators, then lower mass, then higher fidelity).

#EffectorGroupCertificateToleranceScreenActuatorsMassEligible
1Parallel jaw, flat padParallel jaw CoreReference0.680 mm across, ±3 mm along25%128 gyes
2Three-finger adaptive gripper, pinchIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalog0.56±1 mm across, ±3 mm along38%3430 gyes
3Parallel jaw, stock bladeParallel jaw CoreReference0.510 mm across, ±3 mm along25%114 gyes
4Two-finger adaptive gripper, pinchIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalog0.23±1 mm across, ±3 mm along38%2370 gyes
–Designed soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mmSoft arm ApproximationRandom control0.00none0%193 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (missed_grasp)
–Designed suction cup, 30 mmSuction cup ApproximationRandom control0.00none0%181 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (missed_grasp)
–Suction cup, 16 mm bellowsSuction cup ApproximationSuction0.00none0%155 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (missed_grasp)
–Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93Designed morphology Rigid modelDesigned (Nemotron)0.00none0%8171 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (unstable_hold)
–Soft arm, 16 segments, 160 mmSoft arm ApproximationSoft arm0.00none0%199 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (ejected_on_close)
–Designed three-finger swinging hook gripper 45c0Designed morphology Rigid modelDesigned (Nemotron)0.00none0%3124 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (unstable_hold)
–Soft arm, 12 segments, 140 mmSoft arm ApproximationSoft arm0.00none0%196 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (ejected_on_close)
–Suction cup, 10 mm bellowsSuction cup ApproximationSuction0.00none0%147 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not registered (missed_grasp)
–Parallel jaw, configurator imprintParallel jaw CoreReferencen/an/a25%145 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Three-finger adaptive gripper, power graspIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a25%3430 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Two-finger parallel gripper, fin-ray padsIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a25%11720 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Two-finger adaptive gripper, power graspIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a25%2370 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Two-finger parallel gripper, rigid pads AIndustrial gripper Rigid modelLow grip at published settings: the upstream model limits the gripper actuator to 4.1 N, left unmodified (hardware may differ)Catalogn/an/a13%1725 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Soft arm, 20 soft segments, 180 mmSoft arm ApproximationSoft armn/an/a0%1103 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 18-actuator hand, pinchMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%18694 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed two-finger sliding hook gripper 8308Designed morphology Rigid modelRandom controln/an/a0%2210 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 22-joint hand, pinchMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%221315 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 22-joint hand, power graspMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%221315 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed suction cup, 20 mmSuction cup ApproximationDesigned (Nemotron)n/an/a0%161 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed three-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 0d92Designed morphology Rigid modelDesigned (Nemotron)n/an/a0%3126 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 18-actuator hand, power graspMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%18694 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Four-finger 16-joint hand, power graspMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%16645 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed two-finger hand, 1 joint per finger 8fd4Designed morphology Rigid modelRandom controln/an/a0%2354 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Suction cup, 25 mm bellowsSuction cup ApproximationSuctionn/an/a0%170 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Four-finger 16-joint hand, pinchMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%16645 gnot certified (not a finalist)
Ranking (held)
#EffectorGroupCertificateToleranceScreenActuatorsMassEligible
1Parallel jaw, flat padParallel jaw CoreReference0.83±3 mm both axes100%128 gyes
2Parallel jaw, stock bladeParallel jaw CoreReference0.67±3 mm both axes100%114 gyes
3Three-finger adaptive gripper, pinchIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalog0.67±3 mm both axes88%3430 gyes
4Two-finger adaptive gripper, pinchIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalog0.50±3 mm both axes88%2370 gyes
–Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93Designed morphology Rigid modelDesigned (Nemotron)0.28none75%8171 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (unstable_hold)
–Designed three-finger swinging hook gripper 45c0Designed morphology Rigid modelDesigned (Nemotron)0.08none38%3124 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (unstable_hold)
–Designed soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mmSoft arm ApproximationRandom control0.00none0%193 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (missed_grasp)
–Designed suction cup, 30 mmSuction cup ApproximationRandom control0.00none0%181 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (missed_grasp)
–Suction cup, 16 mm bellowsSuction cup ApproximationSuction0.00none0%155 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (missed_grasp)
–Soft arm, 16 segments, 160 mmSoft arm ApproximationSoft arm0.00none0%199 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (ejected_on_close)
–Soft arm, 12 segments, 140 mmSoft arm ApproximationSoft arm0.00none0%196 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (ejected_on_close)
–Suction cup, 10 mm bellowsSuction cup ApproximationSuction0.00none0%147 gthe certificate's nominal grasp is not held (missed_grasp)
–Three-finger adaptive gripper, power graspIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a100%3430 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Two-finger parallel gripper, fin-ray padsIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a100%11720 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Two-finger adaptive gripper, power graspIndustrial gripper Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a100%2370 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Parallel jaw, configurator imprintParallel jaw CoreReferencen/an/a75%145 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Two-finger parallel gripper, rigid pads AIndustrial gripper Rigid modelLow grip at published settings: the upstream model limits the gripper actuator to 4.1 N, left unmodified (hardware may differ)Catalogn/an/a38%1725 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Soft arm, 20 soft segments, 180 mmSoft arm ApproximationSoft armn/an/a0%1103 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 18-actuator hand, pinchMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%18694 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed two-finger sliding hook gripper 8308Designed morphology Rigid modelRandom controln/an/a0%2210 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 22-joint hand, pinchMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%221315 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 22-joint hand, power graspMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%221315 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed suction cup, 20 mmSuction cup ApproximationDesigned (Nemotron)n/an/a0%161 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed three-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 0d92Designed morphology Rigid modelDesigned (Nemotron)n/an/a0%3126 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Five-finger 18-actuator hand, power graspMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%18694 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Four-finger 16-joint hand, power graspMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%16645 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Designed two-finger hand, 1 joint per finger 8fd4Designed morphology Rigid modelRandom controln/an/a0%2354 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Suction cup, 25 mm bellowsSuction cup ApproximationSuctionn/an/a0%170 gnot certified (not a finalist)
–Four-finger 16-joint hand, pinchMulti-finger hand Rigid modelCatalogn/an/a0%16645 gnot certified (not a finalist)

Certificates

The pre-registered battery, unchanged: the nominal grasp, the part 1, 2 and 3 mm off where the wrist aims on both axes, a 1 g shake on three axes and a 0.5 N s push at the part's top on two. Green: registered; amber dash: held but not registered; red: dropped. Jitter is off.

Parallel jaw, stock bladeregistered 0.51 (10/18) · held 0.67 (16/18) · reference analytic
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossheld, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)registeredheld, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)0 / 3 mm
alongregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregistered3 / 3 mm
  • registeredshake x
  • registeredshake y
  • registeredshake z
  • Penetration over 1 mmpush x
  • Penetration over 1 mmpush y
Parallel jaw, flat padregistered 0.68 (11/18) · held 0.83 (17/18) · reference analytic
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossheld, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)registeredheld, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)held, not registered (off centre)0 / 3 mm
alongregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregistered3 / 3 mm
  • registeredshake x
  • registeredshake y
  • registeredshake z
  • Dropped during holdpush x
  • registeredpush y
Two-finger adaptive gripper, pinchregistered 0.23 (9/18) · held 0.50 (14/18) · reference nominal episode
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)registeredregisteredregisteredheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)1 / 3 mm
alongregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregistered3 / 3 mm
  • Penetration over 1 mmshake x
  • Penetration over 1 mmshake y
  • Penetration over 1 mmshake z
  • Dropped during holdpush x
  • held, not registered (tilt_after_hold)push y
Three-finger adaptive gripper, pinchregistered 0.56 (12/18) · held 0.67 (16/18) · reference nominal episode
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)registeredregisteredregisteredheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)1 / 3 mm
alongregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregisteredregistered3 / 3 mm
  • registeredshake x
  • registeredshake y
  • registeredshake z
  • Dropped during holdpush x
  • Dropped during holdpush y
Soft arm, 12 segments, 140 mmregistered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.00 (0/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossPushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closenone / none mm
alongPushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closenone / none mm
  • Pushed away on closeshake x
  • Pushed away on closeshake y
  • Pushed away on closeshake z
  • Pushed away on closepush x
  • Pushed away on closepush y
Soft arm, 16 segments, 160 mmregistered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.00 (0/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossPushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closenone / none mm
alongPushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closePushed away on closenone / none mm
  • Pushed away on closeshake x
  • Pushed away on closeshake y
  • Pushed away on closeshake z
  • Pushed away on closepush x
  • Pushed away on closepush y
Suction cup, 10 mm bellowsregistered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.00 (0/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
alongMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
  • Missed graspshake x
  • Missed graspshake y
  • Missed graspshake z
  • Missed grasppush x
  • Missed grasppush y
Suction cup, 16 mm bellowsregistered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.00 (0/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
alongMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
  • Missed graspshake x
  • Missed graspshake y
  • Missed graspshake z
  • Missed grasppush x
  • Missed grasppush y
Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93registered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.28 (11/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)Dropped during holdheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)none / none mm
alongheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)Dropped during holdheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)Penetration over 1 mmnone / none mm
  • Dropped during holdshake x
  • Dropped during holdshake y
  • Dropped during holdshake z
  • Dropped during holdpush x
  • Dropped during holdpush y
Designed three-finger swinging hook gripper 45c0registered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.08 (3/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossPenetration over 1 mmPenetration over 1 mmDropped during holdDropped during holdDropped during holdheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)held, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)none / none mm
alongDropped during holdSlipped during liftPushed away on closeDropped during holdDropped during holdDropped during holdheld, not registered (off centre, tilt_after_hold)none / none mm
  • Dropped during holdshake x
  • Dropped during holdshake y
  • Dropped during holdshake z
  • Dropped during holdpush x
  • Dropped during holdpush y
Designed suction cup, 30 mmregistered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.00 (0/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
alongMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
  • Missed graspshake x
  • Missed graspshake y
  • Missed graspshake z
  • Missed grasppush x
  • Missed grasppush y
Designed soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mmregistered 0.00 (0/18) · held 0.00 (0/18) · reference none
Axis-3-2-10+1+2+3tol. reg / held
acrossMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
alongMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspMissed graspnone / none mm
  • Missed graspshake x
  • Missed graspshake y
  • Missed graspshake z
  • Missed grasppush x
  • Missed grasppush y

Budget and fairness

GroupStatusCandidatesScreen episodesReference episodesCertificatesFinalists
Referencerun324 / 9602 / 2Parallel jaw, stock blade, Parallel jaw, flat pad
Catalogrun1296 / 96122 / 2Two-finger adaptive gripper, pinch, Three-finger adaptive gripper, pinch
Soft armrun324 / 9632 / 2Soft arm, 12 segments, 140 mm, Soft arm, 16 segments, 160 mm
Suctionrun324 / 9632 / 2Suction cup, 10 mm bellows, Suction cup, 16 mm bellows
Designed (Nemotron)run432 / 9642 / 2Designed four-finger hand, 2 joints per finger 8d93, Designed three-finger swinging hook gripper 45c0
Random controlrunmatched to the 4 Nemotron designs screened, drawn from the same spaces: fingered hand, hook gripper, segmented tentacle, soft arm (tentacle), suction cup432 / 9642 / 2Designed suction cup, 30 mm, Designed soft arm, 19 segments, 118 mm
Same for every candidate
yes (wrist servos and force limits, solver, the part's contact parameters, phase timings, conditions and seeds, read from each compiled model)
Conditions
c0: +0 mm (seeds 6582275832967967603, 2092022484185043053)c1: +2 mm (seeds 5821869692351829582, 6221687342667730310)c2: -3 mm (seeds 7971180315555799254, 8758448550024036402)c3: +1 mm, 6 deg (seeds 1326941335222395844, 1923191261308030880)
Physics
258 screen and reference episodes, 216 certificate episodes; 0 simulator resets, 12 over 1 mm penetration
Signature
4bc8244cb14cfb449fd46ede0db1ea07e9293ba302f28b8c4d520819381f12f8

Caveats

MuJoCo 3.15.0 · code 790c47d65853 · task 8168db801332 · run effectors-pipe-tee · 2026-10-17T11:49:00Z