Abstract
Conference Title: 2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) Conference Start Date: 2015, Aug. 25 Conference End Date: 2015, Aug. 29 Conference Location: Milan, Italy This paper presents the design of a linkage based finger mechanism ensuring extended range of anthropomorphic gripping motions. The finger design is done using a path-point generation method based on geometrical dimensions and motion of a typical index human finger. Following the design description, and its kinematics analysis, the experimental evaluation of the finger gripping performance is presented using the finger 3D printed prototype. The finger underactuation is achieved by utilizing mechanical linkage system, consisting of two crossed four-bar linkage mechanisms. It is shown that the proposed finger design can be used to design a five-fingered anthropomorphic hand and has the potential for upper limb prostheses development.