Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Conferences, Workshops, Symposiums, and Seminars
  4. Mod-VSA: A Modular Variable Stiffness Actuator for Multi-fingered Robotic Hands
 
conference paper

Mod-VSA: A Modular Variable Stiffness Actuator for Multi-fingered Robotic Hands

Junge, Kai  
•
Noda, Tomoyuki
•
Hughes, Josie  
2025
2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2025
2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

Regulating contact forces is crucial for robotic manipulation, but achieving stiffness variation in multi-fingered hands is challenging due to design complexity. This work presents Mod-VSA, a modular variable stiffness actuator for multi-fingered tendon-driven hands. Mod-VSA consists of concatenated units with a novel stiffness modulation mechanism, allowing a single actuator to adjust stiffness across all units mechanically. The mechanism which can vary the stiffness by a factor of ten, is experimentally characterized with a static force model, and each module includes a Hall sensor for tendon force and displacement measurements. To demonstrate its use-case, the Mod-VSA is combined with the ADAPT Hand, an anthropomorphic multi-fingered hand, to perform finger-level force control and grasping tasks which require both low and high stiffness interactions. Through this VSA design, online force regulation capabilities for a multi-fingered hands can be achieved, expanding their possible applications.

  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
conference paper
DOI
10.1109/robosoft63089.2025.11020906
Author(s)
Junge, Kai  

EPFL

Noda, Tomoyuki

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)

Hughes, Josie  

EPFL

Date Issued

2025

Publisher

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Published in
2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2025
ISBN of the book

9798331520205

ISSN (of the series)

10.1109/RoboSoft63089.2025

Start page

1

End page

6

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
CREATE-LAB  
Event nameEvent acronymEvent placeEvent date
2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

Lausanne, Switzerland

2025-04-22 - 2025-04-26

FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Japan Science and Technology Agency

JPMJMS2034

Available on Infoscience
June 26, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/251641
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés