Flexible soft Pneumatic Bionic Hand Based on Multi-Jointed Structure

Abstract

Compared with rigid robotic hands, soft hands can provide better safety and adaptability. In the process of gradual development, the multi-jointed structure that mimics the shape of the human hand has shown significant progress in realizing its personification. In this article, we propose a multi-jointed pneumatic soft hand, which is composed of multi-jointed soft fingers, thumb, thenar and 3D printed palm. It can express letters through sign language gestures and can grasp objects with different sizes, shapes, weights and surface textures. We tested the bending ability of the actuators under different air pressures to characterize the performance of actuators made of silicone rubber. Based on the strain energy density function of silicone rubber, the Yeoh model is used to calculate the relationship between the air pressure required and the bending angle. In addition, a dedicated pneumatic control system is designed and manufactured to enable the soft hand to automatically perform tasks set by the specific program. This new multi-jointed pneumatic soft hand has flexible bionic fingers, and has the advantages of fast response speed, low cost, easy manufacturing, assembly and replacement.