Title: Development and motion analysis of a light and many-joint robot finger using shape memory gel and tendon-driven mechanism with arc route

Authors: Mitsuhiro Yamano; Naoya Hanabata; Akira Okamoto; Toshihiko Yasuda; Yasutaka Nishioka; M.D. Nahin Islam Shiblee; Kazunari Yoshida; Hidemitsu Furukawa; Riichiro Tadakuma

Addresses: The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500, Hassaka-cho, Hikone-City, Shiga 522-8533, Japan ' The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500, Hassaka-cho, Hikone-City, Shiga 522-8533, Japan ' The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500, Hassaka-cho, Hikone-City, Shiga 522-8533, Japan ' The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500, Hassaka-cho, Hikone-City, Shiga 522-8533, Japan ' The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500, Hassaka-cho, Hikone-City, Shiga 522-8533, Japan ' Yamagata University, 4-3-16, Jonan, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture 992-8510, Japan ' Yamagata University, 4-3-16, Jonan, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture 992-8510, Japan ' Yamagata University, 4-3-16, Jonan, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture 992-8510, Japan ' Yamagata University, 4-3-16, Jonan, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture 992-8510, Japan

Abstract: Dexterous and light-weight robot hands are useful for many complicated tasks collaborating with human because human safety should be assured even if unexpected collision occurs. Multi-fingered robot hands with many motors tend to have an advantage in dexterity and a disadvantage in weight reduction. We propose a low-cost and light-weight robot finger with many joints driven by one motor. The finger includes shape memory gel and tendon-driven mechanism with arc route of its tendon strings. We describe the design and production method of a prototype finger with seven joints. A prototype robot hand using the three fingers is also presented. We analyse the relation between the motion of the tendon strings and the joint angles. We show experiments using the finger and the robot hand with three fingers. The results of the finger experiments show its basic functions and those of hand experiments show its wide variety of the motions.

Keywords: robot hand; robot finger; shape memory gel; soft robotics; tendon-driven mechanism; motion analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMA.2022.122325

International Journal of Mechatronics and Automation, 2022 Vol.9 No.2, pp.99 - 111

Received: 15 Sep 2021
Accepted: 13 Oct 2021
Published online: 19 Apr 2022 *

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