Development of a Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Robotic Hand

This paper presents the ideology of this research, which is to utilize advanced actuators to design and develop innovative, lightweight, powerful, compact, and dexterous robotic technology. The key to satisfying these objectives is the use of advanced or smart materials, such as Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) to power the joints of a prosthetic hand, and other dexterous robotic hands. The mechanical design of a dexterous robotic hand, which utilizes non-classical types of actuation and information obtained from the study of biological systems, is presented in this paper. Two experimental prototypes, emulating human skeletal structures and actuated by SMA artificial muscles, one fabricated by traditional means and another currently being fabricated by rapid prototyping, are described. The type of robotic hand described in this paper can be utilized for applications requiring low weight, power, compactness, and dexterity such as prosthetic devices, and space and planetary exploration.