Human-Like Hand Mechanism

Abstract

Capabilities of the robotic hands are limited when compared to the dexterity of human hands, and implementing some of the key features of the human biomechanics may lead to drastic improvements in robotic manipulation. We present two design ideas for mechanisms of the robotic hands inspired by human hand biomechanics. The first idea is to realize variable moment arms in the robotic fingers by using a tendon network and bone shapes. We show that in a robotic hand called, the ACT Hand, humanlike variable moment arm is achieved, and this implementation has positive implementations for the control of the hand for manipulation. Another idea is a novel design for joint with passive compliance that is inspired by biomechanical properties of the human hands. The design consists of a compliant material and a set of pulleys that rotate and stretch the material as the joint rotates, and experimental results with a 3-D printed prototype show that the joint exhibits human-like properties. Implementation of these two designs has shown promising results, and our ongoing work involved design and testing of control strategies for manipulation that take advantage of these design features.