How Far Is the Human Hand? A Review on Anthropomorphic Robotic End-effectors

In this paper, some considerations about the state of the art and the current trends in the design and control of “robot hands” are reported and discussed. The authors, on the basis of a long research activity for the development of robotic end-effectors and related technologies, address what they consider key-points for the development of “dextrous hands”, being related this term not only to kinematics properties or aesthetic appearance, but also to sensory system, control strategies, integration with the carrying arm and so on... . In particular, some indices are defined as an attempt to present a clear comparison of the different “robot hands” presented in the literature. The indices refer to the degree of anthropomorphism, that is the resemblance with the human hand concerning aspect and mechanical structure, and to the level of dexterity, resultant from the kinematic configuration, the sensory apparatus and the control system.