Development of robot hand with suction mechanism for robust and dexterous grasping

In this study, we propose a robot hand referred to as iGRIPP 4 (Integrated Gripper for Power and Precision Grasp 4), which has suction mechanism at each fingertip. This robot hand can grasp various objects steadily and achieve dexterous manipulations with a simple mechanism. The iGRIPP 4 has three fingers and two servomotors which are designed to grasp objects in power grasp and precision grasp. The suction mechanism at the fingertips enhances grasp stability, and enables the hand to hold large objects. In addition, the combination of the grasp mechanism and the suction system make it possible to perform some dexterous manipulations. Examples of the manipulations include the picking up a thin object and the packaging an object in a bag. These manipulations generally require hands with many degrees of freedom and intricate control. In this paper, the mechanism of the iGRIPP 4 is presented, and the two dexterous manipulations that can be done with this robot hand are described.