Design of Joint Locks for Underactuated Fingers

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    Abstract

    Modern multifunctional hand prostheses have many degrees of freedom, but strong limitations on weight and size. The actuators commonly used in these systems are relatively large and heavy, so their number should be kept as low as possible. This is often accomplished by underactuation, which causes a natural motion of the fingers when grasping an object but reduces the ability to execute a variety of grasps. To remedy this, a series of locking mechanisms can be implemented to fix the position of one or more joints. This paper focuses on the development of such a joint locking system that could be used in anthropomorphic prosthetic fingers. Two lock concepts are implemented in a single-joint test setup and evaluated. A gear-based concept is tested, though its actuation requirements prove too high for viable implementation in a prosthesis. A mechanism based on friction amplification is shown to exhibit self-locking properties, which allows for a minimal lock actuation force while withstanding joint torques of over 2 Nm. The friction amplification mechanism is found suitable for prosthesis use, and will be developed further for implementation in a future prosthesis prototype.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication 2012 4th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob)
    Place of PublicationUSA
    PublisherIEEE
    Pages488-493
    Number of pages6
    ISBN (Print)978-1-4577-1199-2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 24 Jun 2012
    Event4th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2012 - TBD, Rome, Italy
    Duration: 24 Jun 201227 Jun 2012
    Conference number: 4

    Conference

    Conference4th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2012
    Abbreviated titleBioRob
    Country/TerritoryItaly
    CityRome
    Period24/06/1227/06/12

    Keywords

    • METIS-287912
    • EWI-22019
    • IR-81446

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