A new anthropomorphic robotic hand

Abstract

This paper presents the new robotic FRH-4 hand. The FRH-4 hand constitutes a new hybrid concept of an anthropomorphic five fingered hand and a three jaw robotic gripper. The hand has a humanoid appearance while maintaining the precision of a robotic gripper. Since it is actuated with flexible fluidic actuators, it exhibits an excellent power to weight ratio. These elastic actuators also ensure that the hand is safe for interacting with humans. In order to fully control the joints, it is equipped with position sensors on all of the 11 joints. The hand is also fitted with tactile sensors based on cursor navigation sensor elements, which allows it to have grasping feedback and the ability for exploration.