Biomimetic rigid-soft finger design for highly dexterous and adaptive robotic hands.

Journal: Science advances
PMID: 40267195

Abstract

In dexterous robotic hand design, achieving high mobility and adaptability comparable to human hands remains an ongoing challenge. Biomimetic designs mimicking the musculoskeletal structure have shown promise yet face difficulties in preserving key kinematic and mechanical principles while reducing system complexity. Here, we present a biomimetic finger design that preserves these principles through coordinated rigid-soft interplay, achieving structural and control simplicity for constructing dexterous robotic hands. Our design distills complex anatomical structures into skeletal mechanisms with regular geometrics, strategically deployed soft ligaments, and elastic tendon actuation, enabling controllable multi-degree-of-freedom dexterity while providing resilience and compliance. We establish mathematical models to analyze finger kinematics, rigid-soft interplay principles, and controllable actuation. Building on these models, we integrate biomimetic fingers with a thumb to develop an anthropomorphic robotic hand. Our robotic hand experimentally demonstrates remarkable dexterity and versatility across various tasks, including piano playing, power and pinch grasping, and in-hand manipulation, confirming the design effectiveness.

Authors

  • Ningbin Zhang
    State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
  • Peiwei Zhou
    Robotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • Xinyu Yang
    Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
  • Fengjie Shen
    Robotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • Jieji Ren
    Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
  • Tengyu Hou
    Robotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • Le Dong
    Robotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • Rong Bian
    Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
  • Dong Wang
    Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
  • Guoying Gu
    State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; guguoying@sjtu.edu.cn.
  • Xiangyang Zhu

Keywords

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals