The design, control, and applications of a novel force-controlled indenter allow for soft tissue characterization.

The mechanical and electrical design of a low-cost, modular cuff instrumented with FSRs enables the measurement of interface forces in wearable attachment.

The Maestro hand exoskeleton was upgraded with new motor controllers, which I integrated into the existing robot’s electromechanical system.

The design and validation of a hand model instrumented with position sensing and torque estimation is proposed as a tool to evaluate wearable hand devices.

Using strain gauges, we proposed a torque measurement model for harmonic drive subsea actuators.

Four-bar linkage principles were used to derive the forward kinematics and inverse kinetics for implementation with the Maestro hand exoskeleton.

A simulation was developed in Simscape Multibody to analyze the effects of wearable hand device design on pHRI (physical human-robot interaction).

A finite element analysis (FEA) with human soft tissue properties was used to model pHRI (physical human-robot interaction) behavior in arm attachments.

Based on a human-centered design approach, a variable stiffness forearm cuff is validated for pHRI performance.

Using an actuated indenter, we studied the significance of muscle activation and angular location on soft tissue stiffness around the forearm.

Using the Maestro hand exoskeleton, we studied the importance of individual finger joints for providing kinesthetic feedback.