Geometric Analysis and Characteristics of a Three-Fixed-Pivoted Multi-Phalanx Robotic Finger

Abstract This paper investigates the kinematic structure of robotic fingers, presents a linkage type of multi-phalanx (multi-joint) robotic fingers, and delivers geometric analysis. The new type of robotic fingers is driven by a three-pivoted linkage constituting a mechanism of two degrees of freedom. On the basis of mechanism decomposition with decoupled kinematics, this paper produces the closed-form kinematic equations for modelling the linkage. Decoupling the linkage into a loop linkage and a function generator of a four-bar linkage, the linkage geometric property and workspace are explored and a stiffness map is produced. The paper further develops the linkage Jacobian matrix and investigates the workspace characteristics.