Abstract
In this paper, we propose a finger module for Human-care Robot. This finger module has multi-directional passive compliance and the ability to estimate the external torque. In this module, two types of silicone gum cushions are used at finger tip and MP joint. The elastic deformation of these cushions enables the robot finger to soften the shock of contact with human body. In addition, the change of the pressure in these cushions are used to estimate the direction and the amplitute of external forces applied on the finger. We examined the basic characteristics of the mechanism in several experiments and confirmed its effectiveness.
