Development of powerful robotic hand using linear actuator for space robot operations

With space development advanced, the robot technology is essential expected to support astronauts. Presently, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Keio University is developing space robot, which can reconfigure and walk on space structures. During walking on space structures, the position and attitude of space robot must be stabilized, so powerful and compact hand is required. For this purpose a hand developed, which modularized is with four fingers, each of which has three joints, and two linear actuators. The mechanism based on the patent of THK Co. (# Pend. 2002-113681) is employed to reduce the actuators.