Related papers: Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Variabl…
We propose, implement and evaluate a natural human-machine control interface for a variable stiffness transradial hand prosthesis that achieves tele-impedance control through surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. This interface, together…
Intuitively, prostheses with user-controllable stiffness could mimic the intrinsic behavior of the human musculoskeletal system, promoting safe and natural interactions and task adaptability in real-world scenarios. However, prosthetic…
Current upper limb prostheses aim to enhance user independence in daily activities by incorporating basic motor functions. However, they fall short of replicating the natural movement and interaction capabilities of the human arm. In…
This paper expounds the design and control of a new Variable Stiffness Series Elastic Actuator (VSSEA). It is established by employing a modular mechanical design approach that allows us to effectively optimise the stiffness modulation…
Wrist exoskeletons play a vital role in rehabilitation and assistive applications, yet conventional actuation mechanisms such as electric motors or pneumatics often introduce undesirable weight, friction, and complexity. This paper presents…
This study introduces an innovative design for a Variable Stiffness 3 Degrees of Freedom actuated wrist capable of actively and continuously adjusting its overall stiffness by modulating the active length of non-linear elastic elements.…
Variable Stiffness Actuators prove invaluable for robotics applications in unstructured environments, fostering safe interactions and enhancing task adaptability. Nevertheless, their mechanical design inevitably results in larger and…
Variable impedance actuators (VIAs) as tool devices for teleoperation could extend the range of tasks that humans can perform through a teleoperated robot by mimicking the change of upper limb stiffness that humans perform for different…
Tendon-driven hand orthoses have advantages over exoskeletons with respect to wearability and safety because of their low-profile design and ability to fit a range of patients without requiring custom joint alignment. However, no existing…
The hand is one of the most complex and important parts of the human body. The dexterity provided by its multiple degrees of freedom enables us to perform many of the tasks of daily living which involve grasping and manipulating objects of…
Modulating the stiffness of soft actuators is crucial for improving the efficiency of interaction with the environment. However, current stiffness modulation mechanisms are hard to achieve high lateral stiffness and a wide range of bending…
Stroke-induced motor impairment often results in substantial loss of upper-limb function, creating a strong demand for rehabilitation robots that enable safe and transparent physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). Variable stiffness…
This work proposes a new kinematics of a myoelectric hand prosthesis with a single actuator, allowing to realize the tridigital grip but also the lateral grip. Inspired by tridigital prostheses, which are simpler, more robust and less…
Impedance-based control represents a prevalent strategy in the powered trans femoral prostheses because of its ability to reproduce natural walking. However, most existing studies have developed impedance-based prosthesis controllers for…
Humanoid robots toward human-level dexterity require robotic hands capable of simultaneously providing high grasping force, rapid actuation speeds, multiple degrees of freedom, and lightweight structures within human-like size constraints.…
This paper presents a novel, modular, cable-driven soft robotic arm featuring multi-segment reconfigurability. The proposed architecture enables a stackable system with independent segment control, allowing scalable adaptation to diverse…
Realizing high-performance soft robotic grippers is challenging because of the inherent limitations of the soft actuators and artificial muscles that drive them, including low force output, small actuation range, and poor compactness.…
A challenging and important problem for tendon-driven multi-fingered robotic hands is to ensure grasping adaptivity while minimizing the number of actuators needed to provide human-like functionality. Inspired by the Pisa/IIT SoftHand, this…
Restoration of hand function is one of the highest priorities for SCI populations. In this work, we present a prototype of a robotic assistive orthosis capable of implementing tenodesis user control. The underactuated device provides active…
Adapting upper-limb impedance (i.e., stiffness, damping, inertia) is essential for humans interacting with dynamic environments for executing grasping or manipulation tasks. On the other hand, control methods designed for state-of-the-art…