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MuxHand: A Cable-driven Dexterous Robotic Hand Using Time-division Multiplexing Motors

Jianle Xu, Shoujie Li, Hong Luo, Houde Liu, Xueqian Wang, Wenbo Ding, Chongkun Xia

Abstract

The robotic dexterous hand is responsible for both grasping and dexterous manipulation. The number of motors directly influences both the dexterity and the cost of such systems. In this paper, we present MuxHand, a robotic hand that employs a time-division multiplexing motor (TDMM) mechanism. This system allows 9 cables to be independently controlled by just 4 motors, significantly reducing cost while maintaining high dexterity. To enhance stability and smoothness during grasping and manipulation tasks, we have integrated magnetic joints into the three 3D-printed fingers. These joints offer superior impact resistance and self-resetting capabilities. We conduct a series of experiments to evaluate the grasping and manipulation performance of MuxHand. The results demonstrate that the TDMM mechanism can precisely control each cable connected to the finger joints, enabling robust grasping and dexterous manipulation. Furthermore, the fingertip load capacity reached 1.0 kg, and the magnetic joints effectively absorbed impact and corrected misalignments without damage.

MuxHand: A Cable-driven Dexterous Robotic Hand Using Time-division Multiplexing Motors

Abstract

The robotic dexterous hand is responsible for both grasping and dexterous manipulation. The number of motors directly influences both the dexterity and the cost of such systems. In this paper, we present MuxHand, a robotic hand that employs a time-division multiplexing motor (TDMM) mechanism. This system allows 9 cables to be independently controlled by just 4 motors, significantly reducing cost while maintaining high dexterity. To enhance stability and smoothness during grasping and manipulation tasks, we have integrated magnetic joints into the three 3D-printed fingers. These joints offer superior impact resistance and self-resetting capabilities. We conduct a series of experiments to evaluate the grasping and manipulation performance of MuxHand. The results demonstrate that the TDMM mechanism can precisely control each cable connected to the finger joints, enabling robust grasping and dexterous manipulation. Furthermore, the fingertip load capacity reached 1.0 kg, and the magnetic joints effectively absorbed impact and corrected misalignments without damage.
Paper Structure (10 sections, 8 equations, 8 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 10 sections, 8 equations, 8 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Mechanical Design
  3. Drive Box Design
  4. TDMM Mechanism And Transmission Mechanism
  5. Finger Module Design
  6. Experiments and Results
  7. Grasping Experiments
  8. Dexterous Manipulation Experiments
  9. Fingertip load Experiments
  10. Conclusion

Figures (8)

  • Figure 1: MuxHand, a cable-driven dexterous robotic hand using time-division multiplexing motors. (a) MuxHand prototype. (b) Simplified system schematic.
  • Figure 2: Drive box structure. (a) Exploeded view of the drive box. (b) Slip ring structure. (c) Structure of the magnetic encoder groups. (d) Schematic and structure of the encoder. (e) Pathway for power and data transmission.
  • Figure 3: TDMM mechanism and transmission mechanism. (a) Operating positions of the BLDC motor group at different times. Different colors represent individual motors, with varying shades of the same color indicating the motor positions at different time points. (b) Maximum allowable angular error between the slot and plug. (c) BLDC motor group reaching the target position. (d) Torque transmission path of the BLDC motor.
  • Figure 4: Simplified schematic of gear transmission and plug movement. (a) Gear transmission. The color of the gears corresponds to the color coding of the number of gear teeth. (b) Schematic of plug movement. S and N represent the south and north poles of the magnet, respectively, and $I$ represents the direction of the current.
  • Figure 5: Structure of the finger. (a) DIP joint and PIP joint coupling cable. (b) Constraint cables between the joints of each finger. (c) The orange cable represents the PIP joint drive, yellow is for the MCP pitch joint drive, and green is for the MCP roll joint drive. (d) Overall cable routing. (e) Decoupling principle of the drive cable at the MCP joint. (f) Magnet arrangement in each finger joint. (g) Magnetic pole distribution is displayed using a magnetic field viewing card.
  • ...and 3 more figures