04-04-2012, 02:58 PM
ROLE OF HUMANOIDS
1.1 INTRODUCTION.:
The field of humanoids robotics, widely recognized as the current challenge for robotics research, is attracting the interest of many research groups worldwide. Important efforts have been devoted to the objective of developing humanoids and impressive results have been produced, from the technological point of view, especially for the problem of biped walking.
In Japan, important humanoid projects, started in the last decade, have been carried on by the Waseda University and by Honda Motor Co.
THE BIOMECHATRONIC APPROACH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTIFICIAL HANDS.:
The main goal in designing a novel humanoid hands is to fulfill critical requirements such as functionality, controllability, low weight, low energy consumption and noiseless. These requirements can be fulfilled by an integrated design approach called biomechatronic design.
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE:
The proposed biomechatronic hand will be equipped with three actuators systems to provide a tripod grasping: two identical finger actuators systems and one thumb actuator system.
KINEMATIC ARCHITECTURE:
A first analysis based on the kinematics characteristics of the human hand, during grasping tasks, led us to approach the mechanical design with a multi-DOF hand structure. Index and middle finger are equipped with active DOF respectively in the MP and in the PIP joints, while the DIP joint is actuated by one driven passive DOF.
1.3.1 A NEURO-FUZZY APPROACH TO GRASP PLANNING:
The first module has the aim of providing the capability of planning the proper hand, in the case of a multi-fingered hand, based on geometrical features of the object to be grasped. A neuro-fuzzy approach is adopted for trying to replicate human capability of processing qualitative data and of learning.