Investigation of Soft

Robotic Hand Using

Tendon-Driven
Mechanism of Robotic
Manipulator

Danu Jaya Saputro

Introduction
• Synthesize the under-actuation robotic hand which can
grasp fragile object.

• Kinematics synthesis of Tendon-Driven Mechanism (TDM)

• Functional Construction
• Planar Schematic Construction 
• Graph Construction
Key Tasks of the Rigid Structure of
TDM Robotics
• Multi-degree of freedoms are controlled by less motors

• Replacement of articulated segments and joints with elastomers

• Increasing the mechanical capability in conforming and grasping

mechanism
Limitation of various Soft
Robotics Technologies
• The Fluidic Elastomer Actuator (FEAs) 1
with its complex pumps and fluid
compressor.

• Granular jamming when dealing with

rough surfaces & deformable objects.
2

• TDM robotics hand in designing its

smaller external motor.
3
Assumptions in analyzing the
kinematics of TDM
• Small amount of stretch in tendons

• There is no sliding between the

connection of pulleys and tendons

• The weight of tendons is light to neglect

the inertia, bending, and shear.

• Each pulley must has a turning pair and

a carrier

• The manipulator configuration is the

typical of articulated one.
4
 Zj To the next pulley
Tendon b
j

a
Two pulleys connected
k 5 (a) by open-ended tendon
i
and link k.
Functional Zi

Construction Zi
To the previous pulley
Zj

(a) Open-ended kinematic chain b

Zi Tendon j
(b) Endless kinematic chain

a
Two pulleys connected
i k
by endless tendon and
link k. 5 (b)
 Tendon Tendon
To the next
pulley

(a) i j
k

To the previous
pulley 6 (a) 6 (b)
Cross kinematic chain (open ended). Parallel kinematic chain (endless).
One (+) rotation of a pulley can create (-) value to another pulley The same sign (±) is produced from one to another pulley

Planar Schematic Construction

Graph Construction

7 (a)
Figure 6(a) Figure 7(a)
Vertices i, j and k Links i,j, and k
Thin edges i-k and j-k Turning pairs that connect link i and k,
and link j and k

Bold edge i-j Cross-type routing that connect link i

and j
Edge label a and b Axis level a and b
Figure 6(b) Figure 7(b)
Double-line edge Parallel-type routing 7 (b)
 (i) In TDM, if a link is labelled as n, a degree-of-freedom is F, so the
turning pair is (n-1) and the pulley pair is (n-F-1).

Structural (ii) The whole of the double-line and bold edges need to be removed to

Characteristics make the subgraph become a tree.

(iii)Certain double-line or bold edge gained to the corresponding tree

(subgraph) creates a fundamental circuit (f-circuit) that provides a
double-line or bold edge and some thin edges.

(iv)The sum of the created double-line and bold edges is supposed to be

the same as the number of f-circuits.

(v) The level of every thin edge corresponds to the axis position of a
turning pair.

(vi)Every f -circuit has a transfer vertex that can distinguish the level of
edges. The transfer vertex is assigned to the carrier/ link in a pulley
train.
(a) f-circuit
R i θ i , k = ± R j θ i, k (1)
θi, k and θj, k are the relative rotations of link i and j with respect to link k.
Ri and Rj denote the radii of two assigned pulley, i and j, respectively.

(b.) Coaxility Condition

θ i, j = θ i , k – θ j, k (2)

(c.) Common Tendon-Driven Mechanism

Fig. 8(a) is elaborated by determining serial links (0,1,2,and 3) , turning pairs, 8
consecutive joint axes (a,b,and c) , pulleys, and joint angles (θ 1,0, θ2,1 and θ3,2.)

Fig. 8(b) forms two units of f-circuits; (j, j + 1, 1) and (j + 1, 3, 2) and Eq. (3);
Rj θj, 1 = Rj+1 θj+1, 1 (3)
By substituting Eq. (1) and (2) to Eq.(3) the final Eq. can be generated as below
dθ j,0 = dθ 1,0 ± (R j+1 / R j) dθ2,1 ± (R j+2 / R j) dθ 3,2 ±…± (R j+ m -1 / R j) dθ m, m - 1 (9)
8(b)

Mathematical Equations
 Case Study: The Endless Routing of Three-DOF Robotic
Manipulator
In Figure 9(a), shows the two-dimensional sketch drawing of a three
DOF manipulator arm, with;
- Pulleys that are free to rotate: 4 and 5 to axis a, 2 and 6 to axis b , and
3 to axis c.
- Driving link : the 1st driving link to pulley pairs (4,2) and (5,6), the
2nd rigid link for pulley pairs (6,3), and the 3 rd moving link for pulley
3.
- Tendon : the 1st corresponds to pulley 4 and 2, the 2nd refers to pulley
5, 6 and 3.

Figure 9(b) is the canonical graph of the associated three DOF

schematic mechanism from the transmission line of the two tendons.
- links connected in series in an open-loop chain: link 0, 1, 2, and 3.
- Fundamental circuits: (2, 4, 1), (5, 6, 1) and (3, 6, 2).
- The double line represents the parallel-type routing of the
mechanism.

Kynematic Synthesis of TDM

Proposed design: Open Hand Yale Model T (Two DOF Robotic Gripper)
Each of underactuated hand has two-link fingers coupled with finger pads
(Vytaflex 40 urethane) and rubber-flexure joint (PMC-780 rubber urethane) [11].

Figure 10(a)and (b) are the planar schematic drawing of a two DOF gripper.
- Pulleys that are free to rotate: pulley 3 to axis a, and 4 to axis b
- Moving link : the 1st moving link for pulley pairs (3,4) and the 2nd rigid link
attached for pulley 4.

10 10

Open Hand Yale Model T

 - The approach of soft gripper design with rigid links, tendon
and soft elastomer had been reviewed.
Conclusion - The chosen model was the openhand Yale model T which
employs soft rubber as the connector to each rigid link.

- The simplified model of kinematic analysis of Tendon driven

mechanism was exploited based on the kinematic structure of
TDM in an open-loop/ endless chain.

- To achieve that, firstly, the relation of the position, orientation

and the joint angles of the end-effector was characterized
with the equivalent open-loop chain. Then, the joint angles
linked to the rotational transformation of the base pulleys
were analysed.
Reference
1 J. Shintake, V. Cacucciolo, D. Floreano, and H. Shea, “Soft Robotic Grippers,” Adv. Mater., vol. 30, no. 29, 2018, doi:
10.1002/adma.201707035.
2 A. McLaren, Z. Fitzgerald, G. Gao, and M. Liarokapis, “A Passive Closing, Tendon Driven, Adaptive Robot Hand for
Ultra-Fast, Aerial Grasping and Perching,” IEEE Int. Conf. Intell. Robot. Syst., no. August, pp. 5602–5607, 2019, doi:
10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8968076.
Y. H. Lee and J. J. Lee, “Modeling of the dynamics of tendon-driven robotic mechanisms with flexible tendons,” Mech.
Mach. Theory, vol. 38, no. 12, pp. 1431–1447, 2003, doi: 10.1016/S0094-114X(03)00096-X.
R. R. Ma and A. M. Dollar, “An underactuated hand for efficient finger-gaiting-based dexterous manipulation,” 2014
IEEE Int. Conf. Robot. Biomimetics, IEEE ROBIO 2014, pp. 2214–2219, 2014, doi: 10.1109/ROBIO.2014.7090666.