Multifingered under-actuated hands in robotic assembly

Abstract

New production paradigm of mass customization imposes the development of flexible gripping systems with exceptional dexterity, capable of mimicking grasping behavior of human hands. In this context, the most demanding technical challenges are: motoric capabilities and related design aspects, overall weight and size, and tactile and other perceptual capabilities. Also, to make the gripper industry acceptable, it should be in affordable price range. Having all that in mind, concept of the multifingered under-actuated hand appears as good candidate to be an optimal, general purpose solution. This paper presents the general conceptual framework for development of multifingered hands which are based on under-actuation principle.