Biomimetic Robotic Hand with Highly Sensitive Integrated Nanocomposite Force Sensors for Adaptive Grasping

Robotic hands have immense potential for a wide range of applications, but the key challenge is still to achieve human-like dexterity. This requires overcoming several challenges, such as high system complexity, slow response time, and difficulties in integrating effective sensors. In this study, we present a novel robotic hand with 17 degrees-of-freedom equipped with nanocomposite based pressure and strain sensors. Inspired by the human hand's capabilities, the hand's design strives to mimic its dexterity and shape. The implemented nanocomposite sensors have exceptional electrical, mechanical, and electrochemical capabilities, making them ideal for integration into our robotic hand system design. The pressure sensor has a rapid response time, high pressure sensitivity of 4.4 kΩ /kPa, and remains stable over more than 5,000 cycles, demonstrating a high reliability. The strain sensor also maintains good linearity of 0.98 when subjected to strains from 0% to 24.49%. To address the challenge of balancing secure grasping and delicate touch, a finite state machine (FSM) control method is proposed enabling the hand to dynamically adjust its grasping pressure based on the real-time sensor feedback, allowing for precise manipulation of fragile objects. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, paving the way for the development of intelligent robotic systems with enhanced dexterity and adaptability for real-world applications.