Tactile Detection Robotic Hand System

We have developed a robust, multimodal tactile sensing technology that has similar sensitivities and mechanical properties to the human fingertip. We will incorporate these sensing modules into a mechatronic anthropomorphic robot hand and develop computer software to perform exploratory behaviors and discriminate objects based on sensory feedback. This sensor is based on a biomimetic design and strategies. The world is full of tools and objects for which the human hand seems ideally suited. Not only is the human hand a highly evolved solution to many difficult problems, but the world has evolved to accommodate its strengths and weaknesses. Much of the emphasis on biomimetic design of robotic hands to date has concerned the mechanical linkages – the location and nature of rigid segments, articulations between them and linkages to actuators (bones, joints and tendons, respectively). But such anthropomorphism is no guarantee of success; achieving functionality such as dexterous manipulation will require the addition of sensors and sensorimotor control algorithms, which should also benefit from biomimetic design.