Tendon-driven testbed for haptic exploration and sensory event-driven grasp and manipulation.

A remote actuation system was developed for the modular control of tendon-driven robot hands, such as the “BairClaw” introduced here. Motor-actuated tendons are routed over cantilever-based load cells for direct measurement of tendon tensions. Compression springs are used to maintain tendon tension and absorb unexpected loads. Tendons are routed to the robot hand through a low friction PTFE housing. The index finger of the BairClaw has four degrees-of-freedom (three flexion-extension, one adduction-abduction) and a Hall effect sensor-based joint angle measurement system. The BairClaw was designed around a biomimetic multimodal tactile sensor that can measure temperature, vibration, and skin deformation associated with forces and contact location. Importantly, the exoskeleton-like design of the BairClaw finger enables rich tactile sensing capabilities in concert with a functional distal interphalangeal joint. The testbed can be used for human-like haptic exploration and, when all BairClaw digits are complete, for sensory event-driven grasp and manipulation.