A compliant, underactuated hand for robust manipulation
Abstract
This paper introduces the iRobot-Harvard-Yale (iHY) Hand, an underactuated hand driven by five actuators that is capable of performing a wide range of grasping and in-hand repositioning tasks. This hand was designed to address the need for a durable, inexpensive, moderately dexterous hand suitable for use on mobile robots. The primary focus of this paper will be on the novel simplified design of the iHY Hand, which was developed by choosing a set of target tasks around which the hand was optimized. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of underactuated fingers that are capable of both firm power grasps and low-stiffness fingertip grasps using only the compliant mechanics of the fingers. Experimental results demonstrate successful grasping of a wide range of target objects, the stability of fingertip grasping, and the ability to adjust the force exerted on grasped objects using high-impedance actuators and underactuated fingers.
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Robot hands have been designed with just one actuated degree of freedom (one motor) but multiple joints; when the robot contacts an object to be grasped, it conforms to the object's shape.
“For example, robot hands have been designed with just one actuated degree of freedom (one motor), but multiple joints (Odhner et al., 2014; Deimel and Brock, 2016). When the robot contacts an object to be grasped, it conforms to the object’s shape.”
From Lessons for Robotics From the Control Architecture of the Octopus (2022) · cites this paper as Odhner et al., 2014
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A novel type of compliant and underactuated robotic hand for dexterous grasping
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“For example, robot hands have been designed with just one actuated degree of freedom (one motor), but multiple joints (Odhner et al., 2014; Deimel and Brock, 2016).”
Background
- Authors
- Odhner, L. U., Jentoft, L. P., Claffee, M. R., Corson, N., Tenzer, Y., Ma, R. R., Buehler, M., Kohout, R., Howe, R. D., & Dollar, A. M.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- iRobot (United States) (US)
- Venue
- The International Journal of Robotics Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-02-17
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 736-752
- ISSN
- 0278-3649 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-3176
- OpenAlex
- W2048058874
- Cited by
- 598
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 70 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 62.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The International Journal of Robotics Research (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Yale University
- Harvard University
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Control and Systems Engineering › Robot Manipulation and Learning
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Soft Robotics and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Control and Systems Engineering › Robotic Mechanisms and Dynamics
- Keywords
- underactuated hand, compliant fingers, grasping, power grip, dexterous manipulation
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