Design of a Dextrous Hand for advanced CLAWAR applications

A wide variety of CLAWAR machines have been produced over the years, and a limited number of commercial successes have been recorded. Successive UNECE/IFR reports ([1], [2]) have suggested that there is an important future market for robotic systems; analysis of the domains in which this market is expected (personal, medical, assistive, entertainment) suggests that the field as a whole may be significantly limited by the technical capabilities that CLAWAR machines can offer in the performance of work for the end user. Although some of the future large markets are not expected to be dependent on the availability of high quality manipulators, the development of high-quality solutions to common human problems in the general case is certain to require capabilities similar or superior to those of humans. Ongoing work in the CLAWAR Economic Prospects workpackage seems to bear this out. The capabilities of a machine are usually limited by power, movement, manipulation and control issues, most of which are being actively addressed by many other groups, and it is for that reason that we have concentrated recent work in this area.