FAS A flexible antagonistic spring element for a high performance over actuated hand

Abstract

In robotic hands design tendon driven systems have been considered for years. The main advantage is a small end effector inertia e.g. a light, small hand with high dynamics due to remote actuators. To protect the actuators from impact in unknown environments a compliant mechanism can be used. It absorbs energy during an impact or saves energy to enhance the joint dynamics. In this paper an antagonistic tendon mechanism is presented. It fits 38 times in the DLR Hand Arm System forearm and enables is adapted to the different finger joints and different tendon lengths. A magnetic sensor was developed for the force measurement of the tendons. Finally, the calibration and the robustness are demonstrated through a set of experiments.