A novel design process of low cost 3D printed ambidextrous finger designed for an ambidextrous robotic hand

This paper presents the novel mechanical design of an ambidextrous finger specifically designed for an ambidextrous anthropomorphic robotic hand actuated by pneumatic artificial muscles. The ambidextrous nature of design allows fingers to perform both left and right hand movements. The aim of our design is to reduce the number of actuators, increase the range of movements with best possible range ideally greater than a common human finger. Four prototypes are discussed in this paper; first prototype is focused on the choice of material and to consider the possible ways to reduce friction. Second prototype is designed to investigate the tendons routing configurations. Aim of third and fourth prototype is to improve the overall performance and to maximize the grasping force. Finally, a unified design (Final design) is presented in great detail. Comparison of all prototypes is done from different angles to evaluate the best design. The kinematic features of intermediate mode have been analysed to optimize both the flexibility and the robustness of the system, as well as to minimize the number of pneumatic muscles. The final design of an ambidextrous finger has developed, tested and 3D printed

Sensors for Robotic Hands: A Survey of State of the Art

Recent decades have seen significant progress in the field of artificial hands. Most of the surveys, which try to capture the latest developments in this field, focused on actuation and control systems of these devices. In this paper, our goal is to provide a comprehensive survey of the sensors for artificial hands. In order to present the evolution of the field, we cover five year periods starting at the turn of the millennium. At each period, we present the robot hands with a focus on their sensor systems dividing them into categories, such as prosthetics, research devices, and industrial end-effectors.We also cover the sensors developed for robot hand usage in each era. Finally, the period between 2010 and 2015 introduces the reader to the state of the art and also hints to the future directions in the sensor development for artificial hands

A robot hand testbed designed for enhancing embodiment and functional neurorehabilitation of body schema in subjects with upper limb impairment or loss.

Many upper limb amputees experience an incessant, post-amputation "phantom limb pain" and report that their missing limbs feel paralyzed in an uncomfortable posture. One hypothesis is that efferent commands no longer generate expected afferent signals, such as proprioceptive feedback from changes in limb configuration, and that the mismatch of motor commands and visual feedback is interpreted as pain. Non-invasive therapeutic techniques for treating phantom limb pain, such as mirror visual feedback (MVF), rely on visualizations of postural changes. Advances in neural interfaces for artificial sensory feedback now make it possible to combine MVF with a high-tech "rubber hand" illusion, in which subjects develop a sense of embodiment with a fake hand when subjected to congruent visual and somatosensory feedback. We discuss clinical benefits that could arise from the confluence of known concepts such as MVF and the rubber hand illusion, and new technologies such as neural interfaces for sensory feedback and highly sensorized robot hand testbeds, such as the "BairClaw" presented here. Our multi-articulating, anthropomorphic robot testbed can be used to study proprioceptive and tactile sensory stimuli during physical finger-object interactions. Conceived for artificial grasp, manipulation, and haptic exploration, the BairClaw could also be used for future studies on the neurorehabilitation of somatosensory disorders due to upper limb impairment or loss. A remote actuation system enables the modular control of tendon-driven hands. The artificial proprioception system enables direct measurement of joint angles and tendon tensions while temperature, vibration, and skin deformation are provided by a multimodal tactile sensor. The provision of multimodal sensory feedback that is spatiotemporally consistent with commanded actions could lead to benefits such as reduced phantom limb pain, and increased prosthesis use due to improved functionality and reduced cognitive burden

Development of Real-Time Electromyography Controlled 3D Printed Robot Hand Prototype

Developing an anthropomorphic robotic hand (ARH) has become a relevant research field due to the need to help the amputees live their life as normal people. However, the current state of research is unsatisfactory, especially in terms of structural design and the robot control method. This paper, which proposes a 3D printed ARH structure that follows the average size of an adult human hand, consists of five fingers with a tendon-driven actuator mechanism embedded in each finger structure. Besides that, the movement capability of the developed 3D printed robot hand validated by using motion capture analysis to ensure the similarity to the expected motion range in structural design is achieved. Its system functionality test was conducted in three stages: (1) muscular activity detection, (2) object detection for individual finger movement control, and (3) integration of both stages in one algorithm. Finally, an ARH was developed, which resembles human hand features, as well as a reliable system that can perform opened hand palm and some grasping postures for daily use