Mechatronic design of innovative robot hands: Integration and control issues

In this paper, an overall description of the design of an innovative robotic hand developed within the DEXMART project is discussed, with particular attention to the required sensory and actuation subsystem and their integration into the mechanical structure of the hand. The integration of the hand finger, of the sensors and the actuation is reported and the motivations leading to this particular implementation are thoroughly addressed, taking into account both the mechanical constraints and the control requirements. The finger is provided with position, force and tactile sensors and it is actuated by the twisted string actuation system purposely developed for this new robot hand. The effectiveness of the proposed design solutions is preliminary evaluated by showing the performance of the system with closed-loop finger position control.