Bilateral robot hand based on estimated force feedback

A novel approach to the bilateral motion is realized in the master-slave robot hand system. In the approach, there are neither force sensors nor tactile sensors in the slave hand. The contact force of the slave hand is estimated by the disturbance observer in the microprocessor-based controller. The estimated force is calculated from the velocity and the current of the slave hand for the feedback to the master hand in order that the operator feels the touch quality of the object grasped by the slave hand to some extent. The position reference of the slave hand is given through the master position. These two cross feedback loops are implemented in one microprocessor. The above algorithm is tested in two similar robot hands. The obtained results show the sufficient performance of the bilateral motion.