Design and development of Low cost 3D printed ambidextrous robotic hand driven by pneumatic muscles

Abstract

This paper presents the mechanical design and development process of an ambidextrous robot hand driven by pneumatic muscles. The ambidextrous hand is capable of performing both right hand and left hand movements. In addition to ambidextrous movements, hand offers a range twice larger than common fingers. The mechanical design of an ambidextrous robot has been investigated in a way to reduce maximum possible number of actuators. Actuated by only 18 pneumatic muscles, the ambidextrous hand has a total of 13 degrees of freedom which permit to imitate equally a hand of each side. The ambidextrous hand is 3D printed after carefully analyzing the material, tendon routing, kinematic performance and overall design parameters. The main application areas of this project are in rehabilitation and physiotherapy after strokes and management of phantom pain for amputees by controlling the robotic prosthesis remotely via internet and social media interface. The ambidextrous feature of the robotic hand allows completing the tele-rehabilitation for both left and right hands using one robotic device.