Implementation of a hybrid force/position control system on a robot hand for stable grasping with haptic feedback

Grasping is a fundamental skill that allows humans to interact with their environment and manipulate objects effectively. Given its importance, robotics researchers have long been interested in replicating and imitating this skill in robotic systems. The field of robotic grasping has made significant progress in recent years, with a focus on designing robotic hands and control algorithms. One key aspect that can enhance the control and precision of robotic hands is the incorporation of haptic feedback. The goals of this article include implementing a control system to perform grasping functions, reproducing Cutkosky grasping classification, imitating robot hand movements from the user’s hand, and providing haptic feedback to the user’s hand. This paper presents the development and implementation of a 5-DoF robotic hand with a linkage. The robotic hand was created using 3D printing technology. To achieve control the position and force of the fingers, a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Control method is employed. Additionally, a tactile haptic interface is utilized to control the hand and provide haptic feedback to the user. In this direction, the performance of position and hybrid force/position control of the robotic hand was tested on grasping different objects. The results show that the robot hand can capture 9 Cutkosky grasping classification patterns. Furthermore, by incorporating hybrid force/position control, the robot hand was able to hold objects without damaging them and offers better grasping performance compared to position control. Finally, providing haptic feedback to the user can enhance the interaction experience.