Underactuated robotic hands

Grasping and manipulation skills are at the core of the development of modern robotic systems. With the introduction of robotics in new applications involving unstructured environments (e.g. space, undersea, surgery), intelligent manipulation and grasping has become a crucial research area. The authors have developed an internationally recognized expertise in this area. Additionally, they designed and built several prototypes which attracted the attention of the scientific community. Their work was reported in several publications which appeared in the most renowned journals and conferences.

The purpose of this book is to summarize years of research and to present, in an attractive format, the expertise developed by the authors on a new technology for grasping--namely under actuation--which has achieved great success both in theory and in practice. This book is not intended to be used as a textbook but could be used as a reference at the post-graduate level.

1 Introduction	p. 1
1.1 Underactuation	p. 1
1.2 Contributions of the Book	p. 2
1.3 Overview of the Book	p. 4
2 Grasping vs. Manipulating	p. 7
2.1 Robotic Hands: Aims and Functions	p. 7
2.2 Underactuation in Robotic Hands	p. 13
2.2.1 Underactuation as a Solution to Grasping	p. 13
2.2.2 Literature Review	p. 17
3 Kinetostatic Analysis of Robotic Fingers	p. 33
3.1 Introduction	p. 33
3.2 General Static Model	p. 34
3.3 Computation of the Transmission Matrix	p. 41
3.4 Expressions of the Contact Forces	p. 43
3.5 Positive Definiteness of the Forces	p. 44
3.6 Other Transmission Mechanisms	p. 50
3.6.1 Double-Stage Mechanism	p. 50
3.6.2 Tendon-Pulley Transmission	p. 51
3.6.3 Gears	p. 54
3.6.4 Da Vinci's Mechanism	p. 55
3.6.5 Comparison	p. 58
3.7 Less-than-n-phalanx Grasps	p. 59
3.8 Conclusions	p. 59
4 Grasp Stability of Underactuated Fingers	p. 61
4.1 Introduction	p. 61
4.2 Grasp Stability of Two-Phalanx Underactuated Fingers	p. 63
4.2.1 Grasp Stability for Single Point Contact	p. 63
4.2.2 Contact Trajectories	p. 70
4.2.3 Equation of the Equilibrium Point	p. 77
4.2.4 Linear and Circular Contact	p. 82
4.2.5 Application: Synthesis of an Optimally Unstable Finger	p. 89
4.2.6 Application: Design Validation	p. 95
4.2.7 On the Grasp-State Plane Necessity	p. 96
4.3 Grasp Stability of Three-Phalanx Underactuated Fingers	p. 98
4.3.1 Three-Phalanx Underactuated Fingers Ejection Theory	p. 98
4.3.2 Loss of One Contact	p. 102
4.3.3 Degeneracy Analysis	p. 108
4.3.4 On the Validation Surfaces	p. 112
4.3.5 Loss of Two Contacts	p. 113
4.4 Conclusions	p. 114
5 Optimal Design of Underactuated Fingers	p. 117
5.1 Introduction	p. 117
5.2 Optimal Design of Two-Phalanx Underactuated Fingers	p. 118
5.2.1 Force Properties and Ejection	p. 118
5.2.2 Force Isotropic Design	p. 121
5.2.3 Guidelines to Prevent Ejection	p. 125
5.3 Optimal Design of Three-Phalanx Underactuated Fingers	p. 130
5.3.1 Force Properties and Ejection	p. 130
5.3.2 Dimensional Analysis	p. 132
5.3.3 Grasp-Stability Analysis	p. 136
5.4 Conclusions	p. 137
6 Underactuation between the Fingers	p. 139
6.1 Introduction	p. 139
6.2 Design Solutions	p. 140
6.2.1 Movable Pulley	p. 140
6.2.2 Seesaw Mechanism	p. 143
6.2.3 Fluidic T-Pipe	p. 144
6.2.4 Planetary and Bevel Gear Differentials	p. 146
6.3 Combining Multiple Stages	p. 148
6.3.1 Transmission Tree Analysis	p. 148
6.3.2 Performance Evaluation of the Transmission Tree	p. 154
6.4 Exchanging Inputs and Outputs	p. 155
6.5 Applications	p. 156
6.5.1 Underactuated Gripper	p. 156
6.5.2 Multiple Pulley Routing	p. 160
6.5.3 Serial Routing	p. 162
6.5.4 Symmetrical Routing	p. 164
6.6 Other Transmission Solutions	p. 165
6.6.1 The Floating Platform	p. 165
6.6.2 The Spring-Loaded Slider	p. 166
6.7 Conclusions	p. 168
7 Design and Control of the Laval Underactuated Hands	p. 171
7.1 Introduction	p. 171
7.2 Design of Laval Underactuated Hands	p. 172
7.2.1 Location and Orientation of the Fingers	p. 172
7.2.2 Pinch Grasp Mechanism	p. 175
7.2.3 The MARS Hand	p. 177
7.2.4 The SARAH Hands	p. 178
7.3 Control and Experimentation of the Laval Underactuated Hands	p. 190
7.3.1 Hybrid Control of the MARS Hand	p. 190
7.3.2 Force Control of the MARS Hand	p. 194
7.3.3 Control of the SARAH hands	p. 206
7.4 Conclusions	p. 207
8 Conclusion	p. 209
8.1 Summary and Contributions of the Book	p. 209
8.2 Perspectives	p. 211
A Mathematical Proofs	p. 215
A.1 Influence of the Base Joint Spring	p. 215
A.2 Influence of k[subscript 1]	p. 216
A.3 Relationship between Proximal and Intermediate Forces	p. 218
A.4 Transmission Tree Formulae	p. 218
A.4.1 Serial Transmission Tree	p. 218
A.4.2 Symmetrical Transmission Tree	p. 221
References	p. 227
Index	p. 237

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