Assessment of soft materials for anthropomorphic soft robotic fingertips

S. Yuvaraj; R. Malayalamurthi; K. Venkatesh Raja

doi:10.3139/120.111229

Article

Assessment of soft materials for anthropomorphic soft robotic fingertips

S. Yuvaraj , R. Malayalamurthi and K. Venkatesh Raja

Published/Copyright: November 15, 2018

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From the journal Materials Testing Volume 60 Issue 9

Abstract

In recent decades, research on soft robot manipulations and their materials attracted a huge momentum among various researchers. Selection of appropriate soft material is a vital role in robotic fingertip design, which enables the object to be held in proper orientation without slip and damage. Development of such an anthropomorphic type of soft hand requires knowledge about material selection, types of finger contact and the mechanism behind grasping. This research work presents a comprehensive comparison of six chosen soft materials with human skin for improved robotic manipulation. Extensive research is required to develop such soft hands for better manipulation becausein the final analysis, the human hand is the best soft manipulator as it conforms to objects easily through good contact with an object. In the past decades, many researchers have tried to replace metal hand of robots with appropriate soft materials to enable better manipulation. In this work, the magnitude of contact area, contact pressure and vertical depression of six soft materials was compared with human skin with respect to precision grasping. The simulation results clearly show that neoprene rubber exhibits a close relationship with the characteristics of human skin.

Kurzfassung

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat die Forschung zu weichen Roboterhandhabungen und ihren Werkstoffen einen großen Einfluss auf verschiedene Wissenschaftler gehabt. Die Auswahl eines geeigneten weichen Werkstoffes ist von entscheidender Bedeutung im Design von Roboter-Fingerspitzen, um das Objekt in der richtigen Orientierung ohne Schlupf und Beschädigung zu halten. Die Entwicklung von solchen anthropomorphen Typen weicher Hände erfordert Wissen zur Materialauswahl, den Arten des Fingerkontaktes und den Mechanismen hinter dem Greifvorgang. Die diesem Beitrag zugrundeliegende Forschungsarbeit vermittelt eine umfassende Studie über sechs ausgewählte weiche Materialien im Vergleich zur menschlichen Haut für die Robotor-Handhabung. Extensive Forschung ist erforderlich, um solche weichen Hände für bessere Handhabungen zu entwickeln, zumal die menschliche Hand der beste weiche Manipulator an sich ist, der sich dem Objekt leicht anpasst, indem er einen guten Kontakt zum Objekt hat. In den letzten Jahrzehnten haben viele Forscher versucht, die Metallhand eines Roboters mit geeigneten weichen Materialien für bessere Handhabungen auszustatten. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Größe der Kontaktfläche, der Kontaktdruck und der vertikale Eindruck von sechs weichen Materialien mit der menschlichen Haut für eine präzise Greifbedingung verglichen. Die Simulationsergebnisse zeigen deutlich, dass Neopren-Gummi einen engen Bezug zu den Charakteristika der menschlichen Haut aufweisen.

Keywords: Anthropomorphic finger-tip; soft finger contact; finite element analysis (FEA); dexterous manipulation; robotics

*Correspondence Address, Assoc. Prof. Dr. K Venkatesh Raja, Head of the Department of, Mechanical Engineering, V S A Group of Institutions, Salem, 636 010, Tamil Nadu, India, E-mail: kvenkateshraja@hotmail.com

S. Yuvaraj, born in 1990, studied Mechanical Engineering at K. S.R College of Engineering, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Master's degree in Engineering Design at Anna University, Regional Centre, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. He has been pursuing his PhD on Soft Finger Contact Mechanics since 2015. He also works as Asst. Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rajalakshmi Institute of Technology, Chennai, India.

Prof. Dr. R. Malayalamurthi, born in 1965, studied Mechanical Engineering at Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Master's degree in Computer Aided Design at the Government College of Engineering, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his PhD thesis on elasto plastic contacts in 2009 at Anna University, Chennai, India. Currently he has been working as Associate Professor & Head in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Govt. College of Technology, Coimbatore, India. His area of expertise includes Mechanics, Materials and Optimization.

Prof. Dr. K. Venkatesh Raja, born in 1983, received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Master's Degree in Engineering Design at Sona College of Technology (Autonomous), Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his PhD thesis on Soft Finger Contact Mechanics in 2015 at Anna University, Chennai, India. Currently, he works as an Associate Professor & Head in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at VSA Group of Institutions, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. Previously, he was in the Department of Mechanical & Automobile Engineering at K. S. R. College of Engineering (Autonomous), Namakkal, India. His area of expertise includes finite element analysis, contact mechanics, optimization, vibrations and robotics.

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Published Online: 2018-11-15

Published in Print: 2018-09-30

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.3139/120.111229

Keywords for this article

Anthropomorphic finger-tip; soft finger contact; finite element analysis (FEA); dexterous manipulation; robotics