Design of a decoupled wire-driven robot finger

Abstract

Wire-driven robots have many advantages, such as weight reduction of the manipulator. However, the further the driving part goes toward the tip of the manipulator, the more complicated the wire paths become, which complicate the calculation of the wire length.

To solve this problem, we have developed a mechanism in which all joints are independent from each other, which makes it easier to calculate wire lengths. We developed a three-jointed robotic finger using this mechanism. Then, we evaluated the motion and torque of this. As a result, We confirmed the independence of the joints. However, errors occurred in the torque at each joint. We consider that this is due to differences in the stability of the motor torque and in the length and path of the wires at each joint. Finally, three robot fingers were combined to form a robot hand to confirm the usefulness of this finger.