@article {4318, title = {Comparison between rigid and soft poly-articulated prosthetic hands in non-expert myo-electric users shows advantages of soft robotics.}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {11}, year = {2021}, month = {12/2021}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

Notwithstanding the advancement of modern bionic hands and the large variety of prosthetic hands in the market, commercial devices still present limited acceptance and percentage of daily use. While commercial prostheses present rigid mechanical structures, emerging trends in the design of robotic hands are moving towards soft technologies. Although this approach is inspired by nature and could be promising for prosthetic applications, there is scant literature concerning its benefits for end-users and in real-life scenarios. In this work, we evaluate and assess the role and the benefits of soft robotic technologies in the field of prosthetics. We propose a thorough comparison between rigid and soft characteristics of two poly-articulated hands in 5 non-expert myo-electric prosthesis users in pre- and post-therapeutic training conditions. The protocol includes two standard functional assessments, three surveys for user-perception, and three customized tests to evaluate the sense of embodiment. Results highlight that rigid hands provide a more precise grasp, while soft properties show higher functionalities thanks to their adaptability to different requirements, intuitive use and more natural execution of activities of daily living. This comprehensive evaluation suggests that softness could also promote a quick integration of the system in non-expert users.

}, isbn = {ISSN 2045-2322}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02562-y}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02562-y}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Piazza, Cristina and Catalano, Manuel G. and Grioli, Giorgio and Schiavon, Lisa and Fiaschi, Elena and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {4205, title = {A wearable wrist haptic display for motion tracking and force feedback in the operational space}, journal = {Wearable Technologies}, volume = {2}, year = {2021}, author = {Laghi, Marco and Catalano, Manuel G and Grioli, Giorgio and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {4271, title = {WRAPP-up: A Dual-Arm Robot for Intralogistics}, journal = {IEEE Robotics Automation Magazine}, volume = {28}, year = {2021}, pages = {50-66}, abstract = {

The diffusion of e-commerce has produced larger and larger volumes of varying items to be handled in warehouses, with the effect that the need for picking automation is increasing. Conventionally, automation has been achieved through a custom plant designed for large-scale production of items having well-established characteristics that are expected to change slowly and to only a small degree over time. However, today the challenge is to realize a solution that is flexible enough to handle goods with different shapes, sizes, and physical properties and that require different grasping modes. To solve this problem, we first analyzed how humans perform picking and then synthesized their behavior according to four main tactics. These were then used as guidelines for the design, planning, and control of WRAPP-up, a dual-arm robot composed of two anthropomorphic manipulators: a Pisa/IIT SoftHand and a velvet tray (Figure 1). The system has been validated and evaluated through extensive experimental tests.

}, doi = {10.1109/MRA.2020.3015899}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9212558?fbclid=IwAR05rgEATvdOFrtQWMrNKMrGHGfvtKE4MEKcj3i9pb6KAI4XTdhMqaq7MNc}, author = {Garabini, Manolo and Caporale, Danilo and Tincani, Vinicio and Palleschi, Alessandro and Gabellieri, Chiara and Gugliotta, Marco and Settimi, Alessandro and Catalano, Manuel Giuseppe and Grioli, Giorgio and Pallottino, Lucia} } @article {4292, title = {Softhandler: An integrated soft robotic system for handling heterogeneous objects}, journal = {IEEE Robotics \& Automation Magazine}, volume = {27}, year = {2020}, pages = {55{\textendash}72}, author = {Angelini, Franco and Petrocelli, Cristiano and Catalano, Manuel G and Garabini, Manolo and Grioli, Giorgio and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {4291, title = {Time generalization of trajectories learned on articulated soft robots}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {5}, year = {2020}, pages = {3493{\textendash}3500}, author = {Angelini, Franco and Mengacci, Riccardo and Della Santina, Cosimo and Catalano, Manuel G and Garabini, Manolo and Bicchi, Antonio and Grioli, Giorgio} } @conference {4320, title = {Towards a Myoelectric Prosthetic Wrist with Rigid and Compliant Behaviour}, booktitle = {International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation}, year = {2020}, month = {10/2020}, pages = {489-493}, abstract = {

The simple kinematics of commercial prosthetic wrists limits the individuals in performing a wide range of tasks and restore natural motor functions. We propose a functional prosthesis that improves grasping capabilities through the addition of a simple yet useful 3 DoF myoelectric wrist joint with compliant and rigid properties. Its locking capability enables the adjustment of hand configuration in pre-grasping phases and separates the hand motion from the wrist motion. The proposed wrist, combined with a prosthetic hand, was tested with 8 able-bodied subjects and 1 subject with limb loss. It was compared to a common commercial rotational wrist and to subjects{\textquoteright} natural wrist. Results evidence the feasibility of the prototype, improved performance capabilities, and the subjects{\textquoteright} first impression about the proposed system. Finally, a prosthesis user tested and compared systems during Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70316-5_78}, url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-70316-5_78}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Piazza, Cristina and Grioli, Giorgio and Bicchi, Antonio and Catalano, Manuel G.} } @conference {4319, title = {Towards More Natural Transradial Bionic Limbs}, booktitle = {I-RIM}, year = {2020}, month = {12/2020}, abstract = {

Based on previous experience with prosthesis users and literature, this paper introduces three important aspects to further develop functional transradial myoelectric prostheses: stiffness modulation, grasp reliability and limb dexterity. In particular, we propose three possible solutions and discuss on the insights observed about the exploration of impedance control in prosthetic hands during Activities of Daily Living and social interaction, the introduction of an articulated palm to increase all hand parts contribution in grasping, and a compact 3 DoF myoelectric wrist capable to switch from compliant to rigid properties during pre-grasping phase to decrease compensatory movements and favour more natural body postures in prosthesis users.

}, keywords = {Bionic Limbs, Myoelectric control, Soft-robotics, Upper-limb prostheses}, url = {https://i-rim.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/I-RIM_2020_paper_144.pdf}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Catalano, Manuel G. and Grioli, Giorgio and Piazza, Cristina and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {4296, title = {A compact soft articulated parallel wrist for grasping in narrow spaces}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {4}, year = {2019}, pages = {3161{\textendash}3168}, author = {Negrello, Francesca and Mghames, Sariah and Grioli, Giorgio and Garabini, Manolo and Catalano, Manuel Giuseppe} }