An adaptive artificial hand

Abstract

A review of the basic approaches to the artificial hand design is given. The importance of new ideas in this field using progress in automatic control theory is stressed. The most importemt feature of the new hand is the two level control. The movements of the hand can be controlled by signals produced by man as well as by external stimuli. For this purpose simple pressure sensitive transducers are placed in the hand to provide the control signals for reflexive-type movements. An adaptive control circuit is present for automatic weight adjustment. All these features are incorporated into the hand using simple and standard servocomponents. Use of appropriate feedback loops eliminates the need for complicated mechanical parts.