Event

Robotics Graduate Student Seminar: Lena Johnson, "Robotic Hand"

Friday, December 9, 2016
3:00 p.m.
1146 AV Williams
Ania Picard
301 405 4358
appicard@umd.edu

Robotics Graduate Student Seminars

"SUR HAND": A Soft, Underactuated Robotic Hand

Lena Johnson
PhD student, Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Prof. Hugh Bruck

Abstract 
Soft robots are robots made mostly or completely of soft, deformable, or compliant materials. As humanoid robotic technology takes on a wider range of applications, it has become apparent that they could replace humans in dangerous environments. Current attempts to create robotic hands for these environments are very difficult and costly to manufacture. Therefore, a robotic hand made with simplistic architecture and cheap fabrication techniques is needed. The goal of this thesis is to detail the design, fabrication, modeling, and testing of the SUR Hand. The SUR Hand is a soft, underactuated robotic hand designed to be cheaper and easier to manufacture than conventional hands. Yet, it maintains much of their dexterity and precision. This thesis will detail the design process for the soft pneumatic fingers, compliant palm, and flexible wrist. It will also discuss a semi-empirical model for finger design and the creation and validation of grasping models. 

About the Robotics Student Seminars
The Robotics Student Seminars at the University of Maryland College Park are a student-run series of talks given by current graduate students.

The purpose of these talks is to: 

• Encourage interaction between Robotics students from different subfields;
• Provide an opportunity for Robotics students to be aware of and possibly get involved in the research their peers are conducting;
• Provide an opportunity for Robotics students to receive feedback on their current research;
• Provide speaking opportunities for Robotics students.