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OPENGRASP-LITE Version 1.0: A Tactile Artificial Hand with a Compliant Linkage Mechanism

Sonja Groß, Michael Ratzel, Edgar Welte, Diego Hidalgo-Carvajal, Lingyun Chen, Edmundo Pozo Fortunić, Amartya Ganguly, Abdalla Swikir, Sami Haddadin

TL;DR

This work presents OPENGRASP-LITE, a lightweight, open-source tactile hand that fuses a compliant four-bar linkage with MEMS barometer-based tactile sensing to deliver six DoA in a compact palm-mounted package. The design integrates palm-embedded actuation, two custom PCBs, and a two-layer cascaded control system supporting predefined grasp types and stable manipulation for teleoperation, prosthetics, and research. Sensorized fingertips exhibit high linearity and low hysteresis across multiple loads, while grasping experiments demonstrate versatility across 11 objects and 6 grasp types at a total cost of about €500, albeit with thumb workspace and manufacturing variability as current limitations. The open-source nature and integrated tactile sensing establish OPENGRASP-LITE as a practical white-box platform for advancing tactile robotic hands and related applications.

Abstract

Recent research has seen notable progress in the development of linkage-based artificial hands. While previous designs have focused on adaptive grasping, dexterity and biomimetic artificial skin, only a few systems have proposed a lightweight, accessible solution integrating tactile sensing with a compliant linkage-based mechanism. This paper introduces OPENGRASP LITE, an open-source, highly integrated, tactile, and lightweight artificial hand. Leveraging compliant linkage systems and MEMS barometer-based tactile sensing, it offers versatile grasping capabilities with six degrees of actuation. By providing tactile sensors and enabling soft grasping, it serves as an accessible platform for further research in tactile artificial hands.

OPENGRASP-LITE Version 1.0: A Tactile Artificial Hand with a Compliant Linkage Mechanism

TL;DR

This work presents OPENGRASP-LITE, a lightweight, open-source tactile hand that fuses a compliant four-bar linkage with MEMS barometer-based tactile sensing to deliver six DoA in a compact palm-mounted package. The design integrates palm-embedded actuation, two custom PCBs, and a two-layer cascaded control system supporting predefined grasp types and stable manipulation for teleoperation, prosthetics, and research. Sensorized fingertips exhibit high linearity and low hysteresis across multiple loads, while grasping experiments demonstrate versatility across 11 objects and 6 grasp types at a total cost of about €500, albeit with thumb workspace and manufacturing variability as current limitations. The open-source nature and integrated tactile sensing establish OPENGRASP-LITE as a practical white-box platform for advancing tactile robotic hands and related applications.

Abstract

Recent research has seen notable progress in the development of linkage-based artificial hands. While previous designs have focused on adaptive grasping, dexterity and biomimetic artificial skin, only a few systems have proposed a lightweight, accessible solution integrating tactile sensing with a compliant linkage-based mechanism. This paper introduces OPENGRASP LITE, an open-source, highly integrated, tactile, and lightweight artificial hand. Leveraging compliant linkage systems and MEMS barometer-based tactile sensing, it offers versatile grasping capabilities with six degrees of actuation. By providing tactile sensors and enabling soft grasping, it serves as an accessible platform for further research in tactile artificial hands.
Paper Structure (23 sections, 3 equations, 8 figures, 2 tables)

This paper contains 23 sections, 3 equations, 8 figures, 2 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. Design and Implementation
  3. Design principle and Architecture
  4. Finger Design and Transmission
  5. Thumb Design and Actuation
  6. Motor Selection
  7. Tactile Sensors
  8. Electronics Design and Software Architecture
  9. Control approach
  10. Motor Control
  11. Grasp Execution
  12. Experiments
  13. Tactile Sensor Characterization
  14. Grasping Experiments
  15. RESULTS
  16. ...and 8 more sections

Figures (8)

  • Figure 1: Overview of this paper.
  • Figure 2: Design of the hand. (a) 6 DOA driven by DC motors with attached worm gears and encoders, custom PCBs and, a robot interface. (b) Four-bar linkage mechanism for fingers consisting of three rigid and one compliant linkage.
  • Figure 3: a) Tactile Fingertip with a bone structure and tactile sensors encased in silicone. b) Sensor manufacturing.
  • Figure 4: a) Architecture overview of the hand control electronics. b) Motor control block diagram: cascaded position, velocity, and current controller
  • Figure 5: Experiments for tactile sensor characterization. a) Experimental setup and procedure. b) Data acquisition.
  • ...and 3 more figures