Robot Hands and the Mechanics of Manipulation

The abridged contents include: Kinematic and force analysis of articulated hands: contact - freedom and constraint; contacts in groups; force application and velocity analysis; force error analysis. Manipulator grasping and pushing operations: theory of pushing; application; conclusion. Index. This book, based on the doctoral dissertations of the two authors, examines several aspects of manipulating objects. At present, the authors believe that industrial robots are not used effectively. Tasks performed by robot manipulators are now limited to simple packing and stacking operations. By understanding the principles discussed in this book, better industrial robots are presented.