TY - JOUR
T1 - Compact and Low-Cost Humanoid Hand Powered by Nylon Artificial Muscles
AU - Wu, Lianjun
AU - Jung De Andrade, Monica
AU - Saharan, Lokesh Kumar
AU - Rome, Richard Steven
AU - Baughman, Ray H.
AU - Tadesse, Yonas
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.
PY - 2017/2/3
Y1 - 2017/2/3
N2 - This paper focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of a biomimetic, compact, low-cost and lightweight 3D printed humanoid hand (TCP Hand) that is actuated by twisted and coiled polymeric (TCP) artificial muscles. The TCP muscles were recently introduced and provided unprecedented strain, mechanical work, and lifecycle (Haines et al 2014 Science 343 868–72). The five-fingered humanoid hand is under-actuated and has 16 degrees of freedom (DOF) in total (15 for fingers and 1 at the palm). In the under-actuated hand designs, a single actuator provides coupled motions at the phalanges of each finger. Two different designs are presented along with the essential elements consisting of actuators, springs, tendons and guide systems. Experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of the TCP muscles in response to the power input (power magnitude, type of wave form such as pulsed or square wave, and pulse duration) and the resulting actuation stroke and force generation. A kinematic model of the flexor tendons was developed to simulate the flexion motion and compare with experimental results. For fast finger movements, short high-power pulses were employed. Finally, we demonstrated the grasping of various objects using the humanoid TCP hand showing an array of functions similar to a natural hand.
AB - This paper focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of a biomimetic, compact, low-cost and lightweight 3D printed humanoid hand (TCP Hand) that is actuated by twisted and coiled polymeric (TCP) artificial muscles. The TCP muscles were recently introduced and provided unprecedented strain, mechanical work, and lifecycle (Haines et al 2014 Science 343 868–72). The five-fingered humanoid hand is under-actuated and has 16 degrees of freedom (DOF) in total (15 for fingers and 1 at the palm). In the under-actuated hand designs, a single actuator provides coupled motions at the phalanges of each finger. Two different designs are presented along with the essential elements consisting of actuators, springs, tendons and guide systems. Experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of the TCP muscles in response to the power input (power magnitude, type of wave form such as pulsed or square wave, and pulse duration) and the resulting actuation stroke and force generation. A kinematic model of the flexor tendons was developed to simulate the flexion motion and compare with experimental results. For fast finger movements, short high-power pulses were employed. Finally, we demonstrated the grasping of various objects using the humanoid TCP hand showing an array of functions similar to a natural hand.
KW - Compact
KW - Humanoid hand powered
KW - Low-cost
KW - Nylon artificial muscles
UR - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/aa52f8
U2 - 10.1088/1748-3190/aa52f8
DO - 10.1088/1748-3190/aa52f8
M3 - Article
SN - 1748-3182
VL - 12
JO - Bioinspiration and Biomimetics
JF - Bioinspiration and Biomimetics
ER -