Topology optimization of a fully compliant prosthetic finger: Design and testing

Traditional prosthetic fingers use rigid links and kinematic joints, which lead to the fingers that lack adaptability. This paper presents a new design of fingers which are fully compliant for prosthetic applications. A home-based topology optimization method was used for the structural synthesis and dimensional analysis in order to determine the topology and geometry of the finger. A prototype was manufactured and experimented for its performance. In order to evaluate the performance of the prosthetic finger, the forces and displacements of the input end and output were measured. A spring was attached at the output end to mimic the stiffness of the work-piece in order to evaluate the grasping ability. Finite element analysis was also performed to compare with the experimental results. It was found that the compliant prosthetic finger met the design requirements and overcome some problems present in the traditional prosthetic fingers. The home-made topology optimization method is reliable for the design of prosthetic finger.

[1]  Mary Frecker,et al.  Topological synthesis of compliant mechanisms using multi-criteria optimization , 1997 .

[2]  Lionel Birglen,et al.  Design of an Underactuated Compliant Gripper for Surgery Using Nitinol , 2009 .

[3]  J. B. Jonker.  A finite element dynamic analysis of spatial mechanisms with flexible links , 1989 .

[4]  Claudio Melchiorri,et al.  UBH 3: an anthropomorphic hand with simplified endo-skeletal structure and soft continuous fingerpads , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[5]  W. J. Zhang,et al.  Automatic communication from a neutral object model of mechanism to mechanism analysis programs based on a fininte element approach in a software environment for CADCAM of mechanisms , 1998 .

[6]  Ole Sigmund,et al.  A 99 line topology optimization code written in Matlab , 2001 .

[7]  Lin Cao,et al.  Integrated Design of Compliant Mechanisms and Embedded Rotary Actuators and Bending Actuators for Motion Generation , 2016 .

[8]  Just L. Herder,et al.  Design of a Statically Balanced Tensegrity Mechanism , 2006 .

[9]  Allan T. Dolovich,et al.  On understanding of design problem formulation for compliant mechanisms through topology optimization , 2013 .

[10]  K. V. D. Werff.  Kinematic and dynamic analysis of mechanisms, a finite element approach , 1977 .

[11]  Xinjun Sheng,et al.  Design and Testing of a Self-Adaptive Prosthetic Finger with a Compliant Driving Mechanism , 2014, Int. J. Humanoid Robotics.

[12]  Silvestro Micera,et al.  A Cosmetic Prosthetic Hand with Tendon Driven Under-Actuated Mechanism and Compliant Joints: Ongoing Research and Preliminary Results , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[13]  Lin Cao,et al.  On Advancing the Topology Optimization Technique to Compliant Mechanisms and Robots , 2015 .

[14]  Just L. Herder,et al.  Negative Stiffness Building Blocks for Statically Balanced Compliant Mechanisms: Design and Testing , 2010 .

[15]  Clément Gosselin,et al.  Design of Sub-Centimetre Underactuated Compliant Grippers , 2006 .

[16]  Paolo Dario,et al.  The SPRING Hand: Development of a Self-Adaptive Prosthesis for Restoring Natural Grasping , 2004, Auton. Robots.