• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.484-492
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• 2022

This paper presents a simple and robust under-actuated robotic finger mechanism that enables self-adaptive grip, fingertip pinch, and caging grasp functions. In order to perform daily activities using hands, the fingers should be able to perform adaptive gripping and pinching motion, and the caging grasp function is required to realize natural gripping motions and improve grip reliability. However, general commercial prosthetic hands cannot implement all three functions because they use under-actuation mechanism and simple mechanical structure to achieve light-weight and high robustness characteristic. In this paper, new mechanism is proposed that maintains structural simplicity and implements all the three finger functions with simple one degree-of-freedom control through a combination of a four-bar linkage mechanism and a wire-driven mechanism. The basic structure and operating principle of the proposed finger mechanism were explained, and simulation and experiments using the prototype were conducted to verify the gripping performance of the proposed finger mechanism.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.258-263
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• 2014

An adaptive robot hand (AR-Hand) has a stable grasp of different objects in unstructured environments. In this study, we propose an AR-Hand based on a tendon-driven mechanism which consists of 4 fingers and 12 DOFs. It weighs 0.5 kg and can grasp an object up to 1 kg. This hand based on the adaptive grasp mechanism is able to provide a stable grasp without a complex control algorithm or sensor system. The fingers are driven by simple tendon structures with each finger capable of adaptively grasping the objects. This paper presents a method to decide the joint stiffness. The adaptive grasping is verified by various grasping experiments involving objects with different shapes and sizes.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2024

This paper presents an under-actuated robotic hand inspired by the ligamentous structure of the human hand for a prosthetic application. The joint mechanisms are based on the concept of a tensegrity structure formed by elastic strings. These rigid bodies and elastic strings in the mechanism emulate the phalanx bones and primary ligaments found in human finger joints. As a result, the proposed hand inherently possesses compliant characteristics, ensuring robust adaptability during grasping and when interacting with physical environments. For the practical implementation of the tensegrity-based joint mechanism, we detail the installation of the strings and the routing of the driving tendon, which are related to extension and flexion, respectively. Additionally, we have designed the palm structure of the proposed hand to facilitate opposition and tripod grips between the fingers and thumb, taking into account the transverse arch of the human palm. In conclusion, we tested a prototype of the proposed hand to evaluate its motion and grasping capabilities.