Contact mechanics analysis of a soft robotic fingerpad

The precision grasping capabilities of robotic hands is a key feature which more and required in the manipulation objects several unstructured fields, as for instance industrial, medical, agriculture food industry. For this purpose, realization soft fingers crucial to reproduce human finger skills. From point view fingerpad part mostly involved contact. Particular attention must be paid knowledge mechanical contact behavior artificial fingerpads. In paper, silicone fingerpads are applied last phalanx actuated by tendons. interaction between flat surface analyzed terms deformations, areas indentations. A reliable model fingertip deformation properties provides important information understanding hand performance, that can useful both design phase defining control strategies. approach based on theoretical, experimental, numerical methods. results will exploited effective or fragile avoiding damages.