Dexterous Hand Structure Balancing Rigid Support and Flexible Grasping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manipulators lack the flexibility and control capability to effectively simulate human hands in complex environments, requiring high load-bearing capacity while maintaining structural simplicity and reliability.
Innovation Solution
An anthropomorphic metamorphic dexterous hand design featuring a palm module with rotating palm connecting rods and flexible finger modules, each composed of a finger back unit and pulp unit, driven by traction wires to mimic human hand movements, providing both rigidity and flexibility for varied gripping tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional manipulators are provided with fully rigid palms and fingers to adapt to grabbing scenarios requiring high load-bearing capacity, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the flexibility and control capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The finger module is divided into two distinct units: a rigid finger back unit and a flexible finger pulp unit. This segmentation allows each unit to perform its specialized function - the finger back unit provides structural support and load-bearing capacity, while the finger pulp unit provides flexibility and adaptability for conforming to object shapes during grabbing tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the finger module are given different mechanical properties to match their functional requirements. The finger back unit is designed with rigid characteristics for structural integrity, while the finger pulp unit is designed with flexible characteristics for adaptation. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between overall rigidity and local flexibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional manipulators use complex structural design to achieve flexibility, then the flexibility is improved, but the structure becomes redundant and complex, high in cost and low in reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The palm module employs a metamorphic closed-loop structure that can dynamically change its configuration. The palm connecting rods can transform between different spatial arrangements, allowing the manipulator to adapt its structure for different tasks. This dynamic reconfigurability provides flexibility without requiring permanently complex structural designs for all possible scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The finger driving unit uses a cable-driven mechanism where traction wires are threaded through the finger units. This partial actuation system allows flexible control of the flexible finger pulp unit without requiring complex joints and actuators at every segment, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining control capability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional manipulators are designed with overall rigidity, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to simulate human hands and execute grabbing tasks requiring flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator structure is segmented into rigid and flexible components. The palm module and finger back units maintain overall structural stability, while the finger pulp units provide the necessary flexibility for grabbing tasks. This segmentation allows the system to exhibit both stability and flexibility simultaneously in different parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The finger module combines rigid and flexible materials or structural configurations within a single integrated unit. The composite structure of the finger back unit and finger pulp unit allows the manipulator to maintain structural stability while executing flexible grabbing motions, effectively resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
An anthropomorphic metamorphic dexterous hand is disclosed, including a palm module and a plurality of finger modules. The finger module includes a finger back unit, a finger pulp unit and a finger driving unit. The finger back unit and the finger pulp unit are stacked, the finger pulp unit has a greater flexibility than the finger back unit, and the finger driving unit is configured to drive a finger back traction wire and a finger pulp traction wire to retract and extend to enable the finger module to bend towards the finger pulp unit or stretch away from the finger pulp unit. When executing a grabbing task, the finger pulp unit has a high degree of fit with an object to be grabbed, and can adapt to the shape of the object to be grabbed. The finger pulp unit and the finger back unit realize the combination of flexibility and hardness, and the finger back unit provides a certain degree of rigid support for the finger module. The finger pulp unit has higher flexibility, which facilitates the finger module to bend towards the finger pulp unit, and conforms to the characteristic that human fingers can only bend towards the palm center. Thus, the finger module has both rigidity and flexibility, and meets the requirements for rigidity and flexibility of a manipulator in different grabbing environments.