Removable Exglove Modules for Wearable Robot Hand Adaptability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot hands face challenges in adaptability and expandability due to complex control systems and rigid internal structures, limiting their application and utilization.
Innovation Solution
A wearable robot hand device with removable exglove modules that utilize external wires and actuator modules to mimic human hand motions, allowing for high adaptability and expandability by controlling tension in wires to perform various hand motions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a robot hand is configured with an internal skeleton structure and control system, then it can perform hand motions, but the control system becomes complicated and adaptability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the actuator modules from the internal skeleton structure and places them on the external surface of the exglove. The exglove modules include actuators, wires, and fixation portions that can be attached to the hand structure without requiring internal skeletal integration. This extraction simplifies the control system architecture while maintaining motion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot hand system is segmented into multiple independent exglove modules, each capable of performing specific hand motions. These modules can be selectively attached and detached from the hand structure, allowing for flexible configuration and reduced overall system complexity while maintaining adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a robot hand is manufactured with a rigid internal structure, then it can perform controlled motions, but expandability and utilization are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic configuration where exglove modules can be attached and detached. The exglove modules include flexible components such as elastic bands and adjustable fixation portions that allow the system to adapt to different hand structures and applications, significantly improving expandability.
Solution Approach 2:
The exglove modules are designed with universal attachment mechanisms that can be applied to different hand structures (human hands, robot hands, prosthetic hands). The modular design allows the same module to serve multiple functions across different applications, enhancing both expandability and ease of manufacture.
3Ease of operation
If actuator modules are integrated inside the robot hand, then internal control is achieved, but the structure becomes complex and less adaptable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wires as intermediary elements that transmit control forces from the externally mounted actuators to the fingers. The wires act as flexible transmission media, allowing actuators to be positioned outside the hand structure while still achieving precise control of finger motions, thereby reducing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The exglove modules utilize flexible materials such as elastic bands and thin film structures that allow the actuators to be mounted on the external surface. These flexible components enable the transmission of control forces without requiring rigid internal structures, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to a wearable robot hand device removable from a hand structure, including: at least one of first and second exglove modules as one or more exglove modules attached to the hand structure, the first exglove module being attached to a surface of the hand structure and the second exglove module being attached onto a exglove of the first exglove module.