Designing DIP And PIP to Mimic Human Index Finger Flexion Gesture with Soft Bellow Actuators

This research explores the enhancement of flexibility and range of motion in the DIP and PIP joints of the index finger in soft robotic hands, inspired by human physiology. The proposed design employs soft bellows actuators as rotational joints, augmented with limiting layer plates to constrain the angle of rotation, and integrates both positive and negative air pressure within the bellows for bending motions. This approach aims to address the limitations of current soft robotic hands, which struggle with dexterity and safety, particularly in manipulating objects with intricate shapes and fragile characteristics. By increasing the degrees of freedom compared to existing soft robotic hands and mimicking human joint movement, the study seeks to improve the effectiveness and versatility of soft robotic hands in practical applications of bending angle term. This research work potentially benefits to the development of prosthetic hands which can be used for the physical challenges.