Novel Flexible Pivot with Large Angular Range and Small Center Shift to be Integrated into a Bio-Inspired Robotic Hand

This article presents a novel flexible pivot with large angular range and small center shift. It is conceived to provide the interphalangeal rotational degrees of freedom of the fingers of a new bio-inspired robotic hand, simultaneously removing friction and backlash from the mechanism. The specifically developed mathematical model shows that the proposed solution meets all design requirements. Preliminary tests carried out on a prototype show an accurate matching between the model and the real behavior. The advantages offered by the new flexible pivot can be extended to any robotic application where frictionless, zero-backlash, compact, and easy-to-manufacture pivots are required for pure rotation over long angular strokes.