I. The Close Relationship Between Dextrous Hands and Humanoid Robots
A dextrous hand refers to a type of end-effector with high degrees of freedom (Degrees of Freedom, DOF), capable of performing precise operations such as grasping fragile objects, performing complex assembly actions, and even simulating the flexibility of a human hand. Compared to traditional mechanical grippers, fully actuated dextrous hands are more similar to human palms in terms of joint control, grasping methods, and feedback mechanisms.
During the development of humanoid robot dexterous hands, an increase in degrees of freedom implies more complex mechanical structures and higher precision processing requirements. For instance, a dexterous hand with 20 degrees of freedom requires high-precision metal components to support each joint. Any minor error will lead to a decrease in motion accuracy.
II. Structural Characteristics and Processing Difficulties of the Dextrous Hand
High-precision Components
The dextrous hand contains a large number of miniature bearings, joint supports, gears, and connecting rods. These components often need to be machined within a tolerance of ±0.01mm or even higher.
Lightweight Design
To reduce the overall energy consumption of humanoid robots, the components of the dextrous hand usually use lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, and stainless steel. This imposes strict requirements on the selection of cutting tools, cutting speed, and surface treatment for CNC machining.
Complex Three-Dimensional Structure
The components in the end effector usually require machining by three-axis, four-axis, or even five-axis CNC machines. For example, the finger joint components often have complex curved surfaces, and five-axis联动 machining is required to form them in one go, avoiding the accuracy errors caused by multiple clamping.
Assembly and Consistency
The components of the fully driven dextrous hand not only require single-piece precision but also must ensure consistency in mass production. Otherwise, during the multi-finger linkage of the robot, there will be jamming or mechanical performance inconsistency.
