Manipulators in one form or another have been in existence for many hundreds of years with the design (ranging from simple hooks or two-jaw systems to complex multi-articulated grippers) usually motivated by the particular class of task. When the problem domain includes a varied range of objects, one approach is to emulate those attributes of the human hand which make it such a versatile end-effector.
This work considers the design of a dexterous (3-fingered 1-thumb) hand driven by newly developed high power/weight performance pneumatic muscle actuators (PMA). Although the manipulator can be used in conventional robotic applications the primary aim is for a high-performance tele-presence system with full manipulator input and tactile feedback. The robot manipulator closely replicates the skeletal layout of the human hand, making controlfrom a gloved input device (developed at Salford) feasible, thereby substantially reducing the control difficulties associated with decterous devices and making widevpread low cost use of flexible manipulative devices possible.
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