Development of a Robot Hand with Low Backlash 3D Cam Mechanisms-Prototype of a Light-Weight Robot Hand and Evaluation of the Mechanisms-

Abstract

In this paper, a light-weight and high precision anthropomorphic robot hand we developed is discussed. One of the common problems of robot hands is the mechanism of the finger joint. Gears and wires are often used in robot hands, but these mechanisms have demerits like backlash and maintenance. To solve these, we developed a unique 3D cam mechanism and used it in the finger joint of the robot hand. The mechanism can extremely reduce backlash and can also be miniaturized allowing high power transmitting abilities. The robot hand has 20 joints with 16 DOF and the weight is approximately 800 grams. Considering the weight of the hand and the high degree of freedom, it is one of the lightest robot hands in the world. Cutkosky's 16 grasp types was used to verify the versatility and the dexterity of the hand. The results show that the hand is effective and features a high degree of maneuverability.