Kinematic analysis and position/force control of the Anthrobot dextrous hand.

The increasing demand for robotic applications in unstructured environments is motivating the need for dextrous end-effecters which can cope with the wide variety of tasks and objects encountered in these environments. A new anthropomorphic robot hand (Anthrobot) which was designed for these environments is described. In this paper the problem of developing the kinematics and unit consistent hybrid position/force control of the Anthrobot fingers is considered as the first step toward its utilization for either teleoperation or autonomous operation. A dynamic model of the fingers is identified and used to develop the control laws. The experimental results of applying the control to the Anthrobot are discussed.