Fingerlike biomechanical robots

The authors present a technique to analyze the forces and dynamics of a class of mechanical systems, called fingerlike systems, which may be viewed as an extension of simple robots to include networks for force/displacement generation and transmission. Fingerlike mechanical system can be described using a graph-theoretic approach to force and displacement generation and transmission. Branches consist of actuators, cables, springs, and other building blocks. Upon specification of the connectivity graph and branch behaviors, a symbolic mathematics program can generate the affine maps from actuator control variables to mechanical system torques and forces. This process systematizes and simplifies the determination of biological and robotic mechanical dynamics