Control Architecture for the Belgrade/USC Hand

This chapter describes design and control features of a five-fingered anthropomorphic end-effector designed primarily for grasping tasks. Advantages and limitations of the design are discussed, and special emphasis is placed on its suitability for autonomous, non-numerical or reflex control of grasp. Following a discussion of its mechanical design, we present the controller and sensor features incorporated into the current finger model. A knowledge-based control of hand preshape (prior to grasping) is then outlined, and the hand’s suitability as a testbed for the study of human and robot hand motion control is discussed. The final section of this chapter describes future directions.