The modular multisensory DLR-Hit-Hand: Hardware and software architecture

The hardware and software architecture of the newly developed compact multisensory DLR-HIT Hand are presented. The hand has four identical fingers and an extra degree of freedom for palm. There is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) for data collection, brushless DC motors control and communication with palm's FPGA by Point-to-Point Serial Communication(PPSeCo) in each finger. A fully mechatronic integration and analog signals in-situ digitalization philosophy are implemented to minimize the dimension, number of the cables and protect data communication from outside disturbances. A hierarchical software structure has been established that provides basic API functions and skills to access all hardware resources for data acquisition, computation, and tele-operation.