🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the lack of a quantitative method for evaluating how phalangeal length ratios affect dexterity in robotic hands without task-specific assumptions. The authors propose an optimization framework based on latent dexterity, integrating metrics such as global manipulability, workspace volume, overlapping workspace, and fingertip sensitivity into a weighted multi-objective function with kinematic constraints to systematically optimize phalangeal proportions for five-fingered hands. By employing voxelized workspace representations, uniformly discretized joint motions, and selective identification of overlapping regions, the approach reveals the non-uniform contributions of individual phalanges to overall dexterity. The work elucidates the inherent trade-offs among reachability, dexterity, and controllability, offering practical guidelines for the kinematic design of multifingered robotic hands.
📝 Abstract
In the design stage of robotic hands, it is not straightforward to quantitatively evaluate the effect of phalanx length ratios on dexterity without defining specific objects or manipulation tasks. Therefore, this study presents a framework for optimizing the phalanx length ratios of a five-finger robotic hand based on potential dexterity within a kinematic structure. The proposed method employs global manipulability, workspace volume, overlap workspace volume, and fingertip sensitivity as evaluation metrics, and identifies optimal design configurations using a weighted objective function under given constraints. The reachable workspace is discretized using a voxel-based representation, and joint motions are discretized at uniform intervals for evaluation. The optimization is performed over design sets for both the thumb and the other fingers, and design combinations that do not generate overlap workspace are excluded. The results show that each phalanx does not contribute equally to the overall dexterity, and the factors influencing each phalanx are identified. In addition, it is observed that the selection of weighting coefficients does not necessarily lead to the direct maximization of individual performance metrics, due to the non-uniform distribution of evaluation measures within the design space. The proposed framework provides a systematic approach to analyze the trade-offs among reachability, dexterity, and controllability, and can serve as a practical guideline for the kinematic design of multi-fingered robotic hands.