Prehension analysis and manipulability of an anthropomorphic metamorphic hand with a reconfigurable palm

Abstract

This paper presents a novel anthropomorphic metamorphic hand with a reconfigurable palm. Structure of the metamorphic hand is briefly introduced, followed by prehension analysis based on the opposition-space model. Manipulability of the hand is then studied combining the characteristic matrix equation and singular value decomposition, leading to the explicit symbolic closed-form solutions. Further, the prototype of the robotic hand is developed integrated with the initial control system, and grasping and manipulation tests are carried out to illustrate dexterity and characteristic of the new metamorphic hand.