Development of a modular anthropomorphic robot hand using servohydraulic actuators

Today's service robotics require humanlike handling systems to interact with our everyday use items. In this paper we introduce the concept of a new modular anthropomorphic robot hand and describe our current work on its realization. Due to its modular architecture of a hand which shall be easily customizable to different applications ranging from handling systems for household helpers to robust finger grippers in factory automation. To drive the fingers, a servohydraulic approach for power transmission is used. Dedicated micro hydraulic cylinders are integrated in the finger segments to actuate the joints. They are driven by a position controlled piston pump. Due to the use of a PTFE enhanced surface coating, slip stick effects and friction are significantly reduced. Our prototype has shown, that the fingers are very robust and even water resistant. The low level control of the robot hand will be done by a reconfigurable system on chip, making future changes of the hardware's functionality possible without changing any printed circuits boards.