@article {3258, title = {The SoftHand Pro-H: A Hybrid Body-Controlled, Electrically Powered Hand Prosthesis for Daily Living and Working }, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, year = {2017}, note = {

This work was supported by the European Commission project (Horizon 2020 research program) SOFTPRO 688857, the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands,{\textquotedblright} ERC-291166, and the Proof of Concept Project SoftHand Pro-H, ERC-2016-PoC 727536.\ 

}, month = {11/2017}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {1070-9932}, doi = {10.1109/MRA.2017.2751662}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=8110634}, author = {C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and S. B. Godfrey and M. Rossi and G. Grioli and M. Bianchi and K. Zhao and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {2865, title = {The SoftHand Pro: Translation from Robotic Hand to Prosthetic Prototype}, booktitle = {Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation II}, volume = {15}, number = {Biosystems \& Biorobotics }, year = {2016}, note = {

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation (ICNR2016), October 18-21, 2016, Segovia, Spain

}, pages = {469-473}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, abstract = {

This work presents the translation from a humanoid robotic hand to a prosthetic prototype and its first evaluation in a set of 9 persons with amputation. The Pisa/IIT SoftHand is an underactuated hand built on the neuroscientific principle of motor synergies enabling it to perform natural, human-like movements and mold around grasped objects with minimal control input. These features motivated the development of the SoftHand Pro, a prosthetic version of the SoftHand built to interface with a prosthetic socket. The results of the preliminary testing of the SoftHand Pro showed it to be a highly functional design with an intuitive control system. Present results warrant further testing to develop the SoftHand Pro.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {978-3-319-46668-2}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-46669-9_78}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46669-9_78}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and M. Bianchi and K. Zhao and M. G. Catalano and R. Breighner and A. Theuer and K. Andrews and G. Grioli and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2538, title = {Effect of Homogenous Object Stiffness on Tri-digit Grasp Properties}, booktitle = {37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC2015)}, year = {2015}, note = {
This work is supported in part by the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands{\textquotedblright} no. ERC-291166 and under the EU FP7 project WEARHAP {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots{\textquotedblright} no. 601165.
}, pages = {6704 - 6707}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = { Milano, Italy, August 25th-29th, 2015}, abstract = {
This paper presents experimental findings on how humans modulate their muscle activity while grasping objects of varying levels of compliance. We hypothesize that one of the key abilities that allows humans to successfully cope with uncertainties while grasping compliant objects is the ability to modulate muscle activity to control both grasp force and stiffness in a way that is coherent with the task. To that end, subjects were recruited to perform a grasp and lift task with a tripod-grasp device with contact surfaces of variable compliance. Subjects performed the task under four different compliance conditions while surface EMG from the main finger flexor and extensor muscles was recorded along with force and torque data at the contact points. Significant increases in the extensor muscle (the antagonist in the task) and co-contraction levels were found with increasing compliance at the contact points. These results suggest that the motor system may employ a strategy of increasing cocontraction, and thereby stiffness, to counteract the decreased stability in grasping compliant objects. Future experiments will examine the extent to which this phenomenon is also related to specific task features, such as precision versus power grasp and object weight.
}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319931}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7319931}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and Altobelli, A and M. Rossi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2398, title = {Electromyographic Mapping of Finger Stiffness in Tripod Grasp: a Proof of Concept}, booktitle = {International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR), 2015}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands, wearhap

}, pages = {181-186}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Singapore, 11 {\textendash} 14 August 2015}, abstract = {

Effective execution of a manipulation task using prosthetic or robotic hands requires that the motion and the impedance profiles of the\ fingers\ be appropriately commanded. This, however, brings some design and control challenges regarding the individual planning and realization of the\ finger\ motion and\ stiffnesstrajectories. It appears that the central nervous system solves for this complexity in an effective and coordinated manner which has been well-recognized under the\ concept\ of hand synergies. While the exploitation of this\ concept\ in kinematic coordinates has lead to the development of several successful robotic designs and control strategies, its extension to dynamic coordinates, such as coordinated stiffening of the\ fingers, remains to be investigated. Indeed, in this study we provide preliminary evidence on the existence of such coordinated stiffening patterns in human\ fingers\ and establish initial steps towards a real-time and effective modelling of the\ fingerstiffness\ in a\ tripodgrasp. To achieve this goal, the endpoint\ stiffness\ of the thumb, index and middle\ fingers\ of five healthy subjects are experimentally identified and correlated with the electromyography (EMG) signals recorded from a dominant antagonistic pair of the forearm muscles. Our findings suggest that: i) the magnitude of thestiffness\ ellipses at the fingertips grows in a coordinated way, subsequent to the co-contraction of the forearm muscles; ii) the length of the ellipses{\textquoteright} axes appears to have a nearly linear relationship with the co-contraction level of the antagonistic muscle pair.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICORR.2015.7281196}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7281196}, author = {M. Rossi and Altobelli, A and S. B. Godfrey and A. Ajoudani and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2081, title = {Exploring haptic feedback for the Pisa/IIT SoftHand}, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS), 2014 IEEE}, year = {2014}, address = {Houston, TX}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HAPTICS.2014.6775572}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and A. Ajoudani and M. Bianchi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @article {1668, title = {Exploring Teleimpedance and Tactile Feedback for Intuitive Control of the Pisa/IIT SoftHand}, journal = { IEEE Transactions on Haptics}, volume = {7}, year = {2014}, pages = {203 - 215}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TOH.2014.2309142 }, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6755554}, author = {A. Ajoudani and S. B. Godfrey and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1664, title = {A synergy-driven approach to a myoelectric hand}, booktitle = {13TH International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics}, year = {2013}, pages = {1 - 6}, address = {June 24-26, 2013, Seattle, WA.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, url = {10.1109/ICORR.2013.6650377 }, author = {S. B. Godfrey and A. Ajoudani and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1666, title = {Teleimpedance Control of a Synergy-Driven Anthropomorphic Hand}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {1985 - 1991}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6696620 }, author = {A. Ajoudani and S. B. Godfrey and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} }