A Design of Synergic Humanoid Robot Hand Using Finger Lock and Sensors to Achieve Adaptive Grasps

The complex nature of the human hand has led to many contemporary robotic hand designs using cable mechanisms to employ a minimum of five drive motors, with each motor dedicated to controlling an individual finger. This approach results in systems that are bulky and challenging to control. In response to this limitation, a novel finger drive mechanism is proposed in this study. By integrating a cable-driven pulley mechanism and a finger-locking mechanism, this new 5-finger robotic hand design requires only two drive motors instead of the conventional five. This innovative configuration not only provides robust and precise gripping force but also exhibits the ability to grasp objects of various shapes and sizes. The operational mechanism of the robotic hand is divided into three stages: pre-grasp, lock, and grip. Furthermore, sensors put on the fingertips help the system recognize when contact with an object happens, allowing it to determine when each stage begins. To validate the proposed design, a 3D-printed prototype was developed, and its motion capabilities were evaluated using simulation.