The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand

Dexterity robotic hands can (Cummings, 1996) greatly enhance the functionality of humanoid robots, but the making of such hands with not only human-like appearance but also the capability of performing the natural movement of social robots is a challenging problem. The first challenge is to create t...

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Main Authors: Tian, Li, Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia, Thalmann, Daniel, Zheng, Jianmin
Other Authors: Institute for Media Innovation (IMI)
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138221
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author Tian, Li
Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia
Thalmann, Daniel
Zheng, Jianmin
author2 Institute for Media Innovation (IMI)
author_facet Institute for Media Innovation (IMI)
Tian, Li
Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia
Thalmann, Daniel
Zheng, Jianmin
author_sort Tian, Li
collection NTU
description Dexterity robotic hands can (Cummings, 1996) greatly enhance the functionality of humanoid robots, but the making of such hands with not only human-like appearance but also the capability of performing the natural movement of social robots is a challenging problem. The first challenge is to create the hand’s articulated structure and the second challenge is to actuate it to move like a human hand. A robotic hand for humanoid robot should look and behave human like. At the same time, it also needs to be light and cheap for widely used purposes. We start with studying the biomechanical features of a human hand and propose a simplified mechanical model of robotic hands, which can achieve the important local motions of the hand. Then, we use 3D modeling techniques to create a single interlocked hand model that integrates pin and ball joints to our hand model. Compared to other robotic hands, our design saves the time required for assembling and adjusting, which makes our robotic hand ready-to-use right after the 3D printing is completed. Finally, the actuation of the hand is realized by cables and motors. Based on this approach, we have designed a cost-effective, 3D printable, compact, and lightweight robotic hand. Our robotic hand weighs 150 g, has 15 joints, which are similar to a real human hand, and 6 Degree of Freedom (DOFs). It is actuated by only six small size actuators. The wrist connecting part is also integrated into the hand model and could be customized for different robots such as Nadine robot (Magnenat Thalmann et al., 2017). The compact servo bed can be hidden inside the Nadine robot’s sleeve and the whole robotic hand platform will not cause extra load to her arm as the total weight (150 g robotic hand and 162 g artificial skin) is almost the same as her previous unarticulated robotic hand which is 348 g. The paper also shows our test results with and without silicon artificial hand skin, and on Nadine robot.
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spelling ntu-10356/1382212020-09-26T21:53:43Z The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand Tian, Li Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia Thalmann, Daniel Zheng, Jianmin Institute for Media Innovation (IMI) Engineering::Computer science and engineering Robotic Hand Modelling Dexterity robotic hands can (Cummings, 1996) greatly enhance the functionality of humanoid robots, but the making of such hands with not only human-like appearance but also the capability of performing the natural movement of social robots is a challenging problem. The first challenge is to create the hand’s articulated structure and the second challenge is to actuate it to move like a human hand. A robotic hand for humanoid robot should look and behave human like. At the same time, it also needs to be light and cheap for widely used purposes. We start with studying the biomechanical features of a human hand and propose a simplified mechanical model of robotic hands, which can achieve the important local motions of the hand. Then, we use 3D modeling techniques to create a single interlocked hand model that integrates pin and ball joints to our hand model. Compared to other robotic hands, our design saves the time required for assembling and adjusting, which makes our robotic hand ready-to-use right after the 3D printing is completed. Finally, the actuation of the hand is realized by cables and motors. Based on this approach, we have designed a cost-effective, 3D printable, compact, and lightweight robotic hand. Our robotic hand weighs 150 g, has 15 joints, which are similar to a real human hand, and 6 Degree of Freedom (DOFs). It is actuated by only six small size actuators. The wrist connecting part is also integrated into the hand model and could be customized for different robots such as Nadine robot (Magnenat Thalmann et al., 2017). The compact servo bed can be hidden inside the Nadine robot’s sleeve and the whole robotic hand platform will not cause extra load to her arm as the total weight (150 g robotic hand and 162 g artificial skin) is almost the same as her previous unarticulated robotic hand which is 348 g. The paper also shows our test results with and without silicon artificial hand skin, and on Nadine robot. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) Published version 2020-04-29T05:14:34Z 2020-04-29T05:14:34Z 2017 Journal Article Tian, L., Magnenat-Thalmann, N., Thalmann, D., & Zheng, J. (2017). The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 4, 65-. doi:10.3389/frobt.2017.00065 2296-9144 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138221 10.3389/frobt.2017.00065 4 en Frontiers in Robotics and AI © 2017 Tian, Magnenat Thalmann, Thalmann and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. application/pdf
spellingShingle Engineering::Computer science and engineering
Robotic Hand
Modelling
Tian, Li
Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia
Thalmann, Daniel
Zheng, Jianmin
The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand
title The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand
title_full The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand
title_fullStr The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand
title_full_unstemmed The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand
title_short The making of a 3D-printed, cable-driven, single-model, lightweight humanoid robotic hand
title_sort making of a 3d printed cable driven single model lightweight humanoid robotic hand
topic Engineering::Computer science and engineering
Robotic Hand
Modelling
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138221
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