ECE testbed - A hardware tool to benchmark fingers and hands on their capability to use environment constraints exploration

Abstract

The use of environmental constraints in manipulation helps the human to compensate for uncertainties in his world model. Recently, the same principle has started to be applied to robotics, so that soft underactuated hands improve their grasping capability by using environmental constraints exploitation (ECE). With the aim of having a standard method to compare the ability of soft robotic fingers or hands to use ECE, we have constructed the ECE testbed. The testbed can provide information about the correct stiffness of the finger actuation and the necessary wrist motion to fulfill the ECE task. Thanks to the use of rapid prototyping technology and standard components, the testbed is a robust and cheap platform for grasping experimentation. ECE tasks that can be performed on the testbed include: Slide finger over a surface to an object, slide an object to good grasp position and flip object. Also, the testbed allows lifting a grasped object, which helps in the evaluation of grasp stability. The testbed has embedded sensor equipment that helps to measure accuracy and reaction forces on the fingers/hands.