Project Title:

Development of Telerobot Hand Joint

05.01-3808
Development of Telerobot Hand Joint
Ross-Hime Designs, Inc.
1313 5th Street S.E., Suite 221
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Mark E. Rosheim  (612-379-3808)
MSFC -- NAS8-37638

Abstract:

	 Telerobotic hands provide the grasping ability needed for telerobot arms designed
to replace or assist astronauts in the hazardous task of extravehicular activity.
This project deals with the construction and development of a highly anthropomorphic,
zero-backlash, telerobot hand-joint for use as knuckles and a wrist. A patent is
pending for this innovation. Applied as a wrist and knuckles, the telerobot hand-joint
features circumduction identical to the human hand. This pitch-yaw motion increases
dexterity, simplifies computer control, and is not found in other robotic hands.
	In Phase I, a telerobot hand-joint was built and tested in the configuration of
a wrist and finger-head knuckle. An interconnecting palm was built as a bonus. The
project achieved the following results: a four inch-diameter telerobot hand- joint
having a 25-pound payload capacity with 90 degrees of pitch and yaw motion for use
as a wrist with very low backlash; a one-inch-diameter teleoperator hand-joint having
a 5-pound payload capacity with 90 degrees of pitch and yaw motion for use as a finger
and thumb knuckle; and a servo computer control for telerobot operation.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Application: Applications include advanced, high-dexterity telerobot
for handling nuclear and chemically hazardous materials. Undersea robots would benefit
from this advanced telerobot hand technology by making them more dexterous and thus
more versatile.