• robotic hand
• synergy

The hand is one of the most characteristic organs of the human body. It allow us to know and explore the world and to perform different grasp and manipulation of objects in our everyday life. Moreover the hand represent a valid support to non verbal communication. Unfortunately, statistics show that million people live without a limb [30]. Limb losses are due to different causes, the most frequent being trauma.
After a careful research on the state of the art of robotic and prosthetic hands, this thesis is about the analysis and design of an artificial biomorphic under-actuated hand. In particular, this work introduces the possibility to modulate the closure shape of the hand as a function of the closure command. Doing so we implement the novel concept of dynamic synergy. This can be accomplished through the inclusion of viscous elements. This has been realized, within this thesis, building on the Pisa-IIT Softhand and its evolution in the prosthetic field Softhand Pro.