The MERO hand: A mechanically robust anthropomorphic prosthetic hand using novel compliant rolling contact joint

Although substantial progresses have been made in building prosthetic hands, lack of mechanical robustness still restrains wide adoption of robotic hand prostheses. This paper presents the design and evaluation of the MERO hand, which is a MEchanically RObust anthropomorphic prosthetic hand using novel COmpliant Rolling-contact Element (CORE) joints. The proposed CORE joint, which has a simple structure, exhibits compliance in multiple directions. Its structural parameters were designed, to form underactuated finger designs that can perform adaptive finger motion during grasping. Experiments showed that the hand could withstand severe disarticulation and violent impact. The hand could perform various adaptive grasps and also in-hand manipulation, suggesting that the proposed design might be a viable solution for robust prosthetic hand.