Development of a four-fingered dexterous robot end effector for Space operations

This paper describes the development of a tendon-driven, multi-fingered dexterous robot hand for space operations. This hand can achieve cylindrical grasps while producing a holding strength necessary for grasping several crew aids, tools (CATs) and interfaces. The design is based on grasping requirements for 242 CATs and interfaces found in the extravehicular activity (EVA) Tools and Equipment Reference Book. The results of this study show that over 50% of the required grasps are cylindrical, and that it may be possible for a three-fingered hand to achieve over 90% of these grasps. Further tests are implemented to show that tendon tensions agree with the predicted kinematic model.