Force sensing strategy for the backdrivable and dexterous CEA hand

This work presents torque control and force sensing strategies for the new dexterous CEA hand. It is only based on proprioceptive signals and does not rely on external force sensors. We primarily focus on the mechatronic design rationale of the robotic hand. A modular approach simplifies the complex hand assembly and permits to concentrate efforts on one basic unit which is replicated throughout the hand. An optimized mechanical design of this unit assures backdrivability through the whole mechanism, including actuators and transmission of movement to the joints. Based on this feature, external forces applied to the finger can be sensed at the motor level. Overall, this mechatronic design contributes to the improvement of manipulation skills of robotic hands, thanks to the combination of high performance mechanics, high sensitivity to external forces and torque control capability without using external force sensor. Experimental results confirm the validity of our design approach, which provides a highly integrated method for sensing the interacting force.