Investigation of artificial hand with pneumatic joint

This paper presents an artificial hand that is constructed with pneumatic joints. Based on discussion and analysis of anatomical structure and the motion of a human hand, a pneumatic bending-joint and a pneumatic spherical-joint were designed by using specially developed elastic materials. An artificial hand with pneumatic joints was composed of these joints connected in a certain sequence. The pneumatic control and manipulation of these joints are also discussed. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the pneumatic joint artificial hand is able to provide enough dexterity for agricultural purposes.