Research on Variable Stiffness of a Human-Inspired Rigid-soft Finger Driven by Enhanced IPMC actuators

A smart hand finger system driven by IPMC is built. Based on the improved IPMC, the multi joint single finger system is driven. The rigid body structure is selected the 3D printed plastic material as the muscle driving part of the IPMC supported by the bones. The design of palm and single finger system is based on the basic bone size of adult hand, and the overall hand size is designed. Then, based on our previous work, the performance test of single finger motion range and output force is measured, which proves that the single finger system is also called reliable stiffness variation characteristic and grasping motion range. This single finger system structure can be applied to the flexible grasping of service robot and prosthetic dexterous hand.