Understanding of hands and task characteristics for development of biomimetic robot hands

This paper describes a study to understand human hand dexterity, which is the ultimate goal of biomimetic robot hands. The hand is one of the most complicated organs in the human body and this complicated anatomical structure is a source of a dexterity and force capability that man-made hands have rarely achieved. The anatomical and neuromuscular aspects of the human hand are surveyed to provide technical specifications. In addition, the roles of visual and tactile sensory capabilities during object manipulation are discussed. Finally, the paper presents an instrumentation system for measuring surface electromyogram (sEMG) and exerted finger forces concurrently. This system is able to characterize hand tasks and provide technical specifications for development of biomimetic hands with dexterity and force capabilities that are comparable to those of human hands.