Abstract
This study traces the development of dexterous hand research and proposes a novel antagonistic variable stiffness dexterous finger mechanism to improve the safety of dexterous hand in unpredictable environments, such as unstructured or man-made operational errors through comprehensive consideration of cost, accuracy, manufacturing, and application. Based on the concept of mechanical passive compliance, which is widely implemented in robots for interactions, a finger is dedicated to improving mechanical robustness. The finger mechanism not only achieves passive compliance against physical impacts, but also implements the variable stiffness actuator principle in a compact finger without adding supererogatory actuators. It achieves finger stiffness adjustability according to the biologically inspired stiffness variation principle of discarding some mobilities to adjust stiffness. The mechanical design of the finger and its stiffness adjusting methods are elaborated. The stiffness characteristics of the finger joint and the actuation unit are analyzed. Experimental results of the finger joint stiffness identification and finger impact tests under different finger stiffness presets are provided to verify the validity of the model. Fingers have been experimentally proven to be robust against physical impacts. Moreover, the experimental part verifies that fingers have good power, grasping, and manipulation performance.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- AVS:
-
Antagonistic variable stiffness
- CAU:
-
Compliant actuation unit
- CS:
-
Circular spline
- DOF:
-
Degree of freedom
- DSA:
-
Distal-joint-locked stiffness adjusting
- FS:
-
Flexspline
- PD:
-
Proportional plus derivative
- PSA:
-
Proximal-joint-locked stiffness adjusting
- SEA:
-
Series elastic actuator
- SEJ:
-
Series elastic joint
- VSA:
-
Variable stiffness actuator
- VSJ:
-
Variable stiffness joint
- DIP:
-
Distal interphalangeal
- PIP:
-
Proximal interphalangeal
- WG:
-
Wave generator
- E CAUi :
-
Potential energy
- E finger :
-
Finger potential energy
- F(φ):
-
Generalized force exerted to the actuation frame
- F ext :
-
Generalized force at the load frame
- F si, F 0i, Δx si :
-
Resultant spring force on the slider, the initial spring
- K s, θ CSi, τ CSi :
-
force, the deflection of the slider, the stiffness of linear spring, the angular displacement of CS, and CS torque of the ith CAU, respectively
- J M :
-
Motor inertia of deceleration
- K CAUi :
-
Stiffness of the ith CAU
- K p, K d :
-
Proportional gain and differential gain of the PD controller, respectively
- K Ji (i = 1,2):
-
ith finger joint stiffness
- k sys :
-
Stiffness of a flexible mechanical system
- k T :
-
Transmission stiffness of the coupling block
- K J :
-
Stiffness vector of the finger joints
- N :
-
Deceleration ratio of the harmonic drive gear
- p a, p b :
-
Synchronous belt transmission ratio and differential gear transmission ratio, respectively
- q :
-
Generalized load frame deflection
- q i (i = 1,2):
-
Output shaft angular position the ith CAU
- R :
-
Distance between the CS axis and the slider routine
- T D :
-
Transformation matrix of forward joint dynamics
- T K :
-
Transformation matrix of forward joint kinematics
- x :
-
Generalized actuation frame deflection
- θ CS, θ FS, θ WG :
-
Angular deflections of CS, FS, and WG, respectively
- θ i (i = 1,2):
-
Angular positions of joint i abduction/adduction
- θ mi :
-
Angular displacement of motor of the ith CAU
- θ Mi :
-
Motor side displacement
- Θ :
-
Position vector
- μ 1, μ 2 :
-
Coefficients of coulomb friction of CAU1 and CAU2, respectively
- v 1, v 2 :
-
Coefficients of sliding friction of CAU1 and CAU2, respectively
- τ 1, τ 2 :
-
J1 torque and J2 torque, respectively
- τ CAUi :
-
Torque
- τ CS, τ FS :
-
CS torque and FS torque, respectively
- τ Ji (i = 1,2):
-
ith finger joint torque
- τ J :
-
Torque vector
- φ :
-
Compliant deflection
References
Mattar E. A survey of bio-inspired robotics hands implementation: new directions in dexterous manipulation. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2013, 61(5): 517–544
Salisbury J K, Craig J J. Articulated hands: force control and kinematic issues. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 1982, 1(1): 4–17
Jacobsen S C, Wood J E, Knutti D F, Biggers K B. The UTAH/M.I.T. dextrous hand: work in progress. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 1984, 3(4): 21–50
Bridgwater L B, Ihrke C A, Diftler M A, Abdallah M E, Radford N A, Rogers J M, Yayathi S, Askew R S, Linn D M. The Robonaut 2 hand—designed to do work with tools. In: Proceedings of 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Saint Paul: IEEE, 2012, 3425–3430
Butterfass J, Grebenstein M, Liu H, Hirzinger G. DLR-hand II: next generation of a dextrous robot hand. In: Proceedings of 2001 ICRA. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Seoul: IEEE, 2001, 109–114
Liu H, Wu K, Meusel P, Seitz N, Hirzinger G, Jin M H, Liu Y W, Fan S W, Lan T, Chen Z P. Multisensory five-finger dexterous hand: the DLR/HIT hand II. In: Proceedings of 2008 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Nice: IEEE, 2008, 3692–3697
Hurst J W, Chestnutt J E, Rizzi A A. An actuator with physically variable stiffness for highly dynamic legged locomotion. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. New Orleans: IEEE, 2004, 5: 4662–4667
Wolf S, Hirzinger G. A new variable stiffness design: matching requirements of the next robot generation. In: Proceedings of 2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Pasadena: IEEE, 2008, 1741–1746
Lotti F, Tiezzi P, Vassura G, Biagiotti L, Palli G, Melchiorri C. Development of UB hand 3: early results. In: Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Barcelona: IEEE, 2005, 4488–4493
Teeple C B, Koutros T N, Graule M A, Wood R J. Multi-segment soft robotic fingers enable robust precision grasping. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 2020, 39(14): 1647–1667
Wolf S, Eiberger O, Hirzinger G. The DLR FSJ: energy based design of a variable stiffness joint. In: Proceedings of 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Shanghai: IEEE, 2011, 5082–5089
Tsagarakis N G, Sardellitti I, Caldwell D G. A new variable stiffness actuator (CompAct-VSA): design and modelling. In: Proceedings of 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. San Francisco: IEEE, 2011, 378–383
Choi J, Hong S, Lee W, Kang S. A variable stiffness joint using leaf springs for robot manipulators. In: Proceedings of 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Kobe: IEEE, 2009, 4363–4368
Catalano M G, Grioli G, Bonomo F, Schiavi R, Bicchi A. VSA-HD: from the enumeration analysis to the prototypical implementation. In: Proceedings of 2010 IEEE/RSJ 2010 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Taipei: IEEE, 2010, 3676–3681
Grebenstein M, Chalon M, Hirzinger G, Siegwart R. Antagonistically driven finger design for the anthropomorphic DLR hand arm system. In: Proceedings of 2010 the 10th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots. Nashville: IEEE, 2010, 609–616
Koyama K, Shimojo M, Senoo T, Ishikawa M. Development and application of low-friction, compact size actuator “MagLinkage”. The Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec), 2019, 2P1-H02
Walkler R. Developments in dextrous hands for advanced robotic applications. In: Proceedings of World Automation Congress. Seville: IEEE, 2004, 123–128
Mouri T, Kawasaki H, Yoshikawa K, Takai J, Ito S. Anthropomorphic robot hand: Gifu Hand III. In: Proceedings of International Conference on Control, Automation, and Systems. Jeonbuk, 2002, 1288–1293
Ficuciello F, Palli G, Melchiorri C, Siciliano B. Experimental evaluation of postural synergies during reach to grasp with the UB hand IV. In: Proceedings of 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. San Francisco: IEEE, 2011, 1775–1780
Chalon M, Wedler A, Baumann A, Bertleff W, Beyer A, Butterfaß J, Grebenstein M, Gruber R, Hacker F, Kraemer E, Landzettel K, Maier M, Sedlmayr H J, Seitz N, Wappler F, Willberg B, Wimboeck T, Hirzinger G, Didot F. Dexhand: a space qualified multi-fingered robotic hand. In: Proceedings of 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Shanghai: IEEE, 2011, 2204–2210
Grebenstein M. The Awiwi Hand: an Artificial Hand for the DLR Hand Arm System. Cham: Springer, 2014
Quigley M, Salisbury C, Ng A Y, Salisbury J K. Mechatronic design of an integrated robotic hand. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 2014, 33(5): 706–720
Ruehl S W, Parlitz C, Heppner G, Hermann A, Roennau A, Dillmann R. Experimental evaluation of the schunk 5-finger gripping hand for grasping tasks. In: Proceedings of 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO 2014). Bali: IEEE, 2014, 2465–2470
Grossard M, Martin J, da Cruz Pacheco G F. Control-oriented design and robust decentralized control of the CEA dexterous robot hand. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2015, 20(4): 1809–1821
Fang B, Sun F C, Chen Y, Zhu C, Xia Z W, Yang Y Y. A tendon-driven dexterous hand design with tactile sensor array for grasping and manipulation. In: Proceedings of 2019 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO). Dali: IEEE, 2019, 203–210
Kim Y J, Yoon J, Sim Y W. Fluid lubricated dexterous finger mechanism for human-like impact absorbing capability. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2019, 4(4): 3971–3978
Vanderborght B, Albu-Schaeffer A, Bicchi A, Burdet E, Caldwell D G, Carloni R, Catalano M, Eiberger O, Friedl W, Ganesh G, Garabini M, Grebenstein M, Grioli G, Haddadin S, Hoppner H, Jafari A, Laffranchi M, Lefeber D, Petit F, Stramigioli S, Tsagarakis N, Van Damme M, Van Ham R, Visser L C, Wolf S. Variable impedance actuators: a review. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2013, 61(12): 1601–1614
Wolf S, Grioli G, Eiberger O, Friedl W, Grebenstein M, Höppner H, Burdet E, Caldwell D G, Carloni R, Catalano M G, Lefeber D, Stramigioli S, Tsagarakis N, Van Damme M, Van Ham R, Vanderborght B, Visser L C, Bicchi A, Albu-Schäffer A. Variable stiffness actuators: review on design and components. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2016, 21(5): 2418–2430
Catalano M G, Grioli G, Garabini M, Bonomo F, Mancini M, Tsagarakis N, Bicchi A. VSA-cubebot: a modular variable stiffness platform for multiple degrees of freedom robots. In: Proceedings of 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Shanghai: IEEE, 2011, 5090–5095
Jafari A, Tsagarakis N G, Sardellitti I, Caldwell D G. A new actuator with adjustable stiffness based on a variable ratio lever mechanism. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2014, 19(1): 55–63
Shao Y X, Zhang W X, Ding X L. Configuration synthesis of variable stiffness mechanisms based on guide-bar mechanisms with length-adjustable links. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2021, 156: 104153
Oh J, Lee S, Lim M, Choi J. A mechanically adjustable stiffness actuator (MASA) of a robot for knee rehabilitation. In: Proceedings of 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). Hong Kong: IEEE, 2014, 3384–3389
Shao Y X, Zhang W X, Su Y J, Ding X L. Design and optimisation of load-adaptive actuator with variable stiffness for compact ankle exoskeleton. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2021, 161: 104323
Grebenstein M, van der Smagt P. Antagonism for a highly anthropomorphic hand—arm system. Advanced Robotics, 2008, 22(1): 39–55
Petit F, Friedl W, Höppner H, Grebenstein M. Analysis and synthesis of the bidirectional antagonistic variable stiffness mechanism. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2015, 20(2): 684–695
Grebenstein M, Chalon M, Friedl W, Haddadin S, Wimböck T, Hirzinger G, Siegwart R. The hand of the DLR hand arm system: designed for interaction. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 2012, 31(13): 1531–1555
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFB1300400), and the Major Research Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 91848202).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the Creative Commons license is provided, and the changes made are indicated.
The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
Visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ to view a copy of this license.
About this article
Cite this article
Hu, H., Liu, Y., Xie, Z. et al. Mechanical design, modeling, and identification for a novel antagonistic variable stiffness dexterous finger. Front. Mech. Eng. 17, 35 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11465-022-0691-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11465-022-0691-5