A Versatile, Multiple Prehension, Compliance Controlled Robotic End-Effector

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research will investigate a novel robot hand which utilizes rubber fingers which bend to grasp an object when their internal pressure is elevated. The bending of the fingers is accomplished by employing non-uniform wall thickness in the fingers, and the bending mechanism is controlled by a single variable (the internal pressure). Using rubber actuators (fingers) drastically reduces the number of control variables of the artificial fingers without restricting its maneuverability. The novel robot hand should be capable of gripping objects of various shapes and sizes, applying various grasping modes, modifying the compliance of the grip, and performing limited object manipulations. The research will investigate a design to enable the base angle of each finger to be controlled independently which should significantly enhance the object manipulation capabilities of the hand. The incorporation of tactile sensing to control the contact forces and gripping compliance will also be investigated.