The Development of a Fast-Acting Cluster-Tube Self-Adaptive Robotic Hand

Fast and universal grasping remains a critical challenge for robotic hands operating in unstructured and industrial environments. Conventional pin-array-based robotic hands exhibit strong adaptability to objects with diverse geometries, yet their grasping speed is often limited by centralized motor-driven actuation. To address this limitation, this paper presents the development of a fast-acting cluster-tube self-adaptive robotic hand (CTSA-FA hand), which transforms traditional active actuation into a passive energy-storage-and-release-driven grasping mechanism. A spring-cam-based structure is introduced to enable rapid energy release during the grasping phase, significantly reducing the gathering time. A theoretical model of the CTSA-FA hand is established, including cam trajectory planning and mechanical analysis, to guide parameter design and performance optimization. A physical prototype is developed and experimentally validated. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed CTSA-FA hand can complete approximately three grasp-release cycles per second, corresponding to a grasping time of about 0.25~s per cycle, while maintaining robust adaptive grasping performance. These characteristics indicate that the proposed design is well suited for applications requiring fast and universal grasping, particularly in intelligent mining equipment and industrial automation scenarios.