Development of Under-Supporting Extension Hand (new concept of the hand for stable tableware handling)

This paper presents a hand mechanism called "USE Hand (Under-Supporting Extension Hand)" for stable handling of tableware. For table setting work, development of a method of handling various tableware and consideration of safe coexistence with humans are required. We focused on the grasping method that supports tableware from beneath. In this method, if a plate can once be slid beneath tableware and weight can be supported, stability is kept by applying small force to the tableware. Therefore, it is a simple but very effective mechanism for the stable handling of tableware. This paper describes the development of USE Hand, a mechanism that can support tableware from beneath. In addition, we introduce a mobile robot that is equipped with USE Hand and intended for handling tableware in coexistence with humans.