Fine assembly tasks such as electrical connector insertion have tight tolerances and sensitive components, requiring compensation of alignment errors while applying sufficient force in the insertion direction, ideally at high speeds and while grasping a range of components. Vision, tactile, or force sensors can compensate alignment errors, but have limited bandwidth, limiting the safe assembly speed. Passive compliance such as silicone-based fingers can reduce collision forces and grasp a range of components, but often cannot provide the accuracy or assembly forces required. To support high-speed mechanical search and self-aligning insertion, this paper proposes monolithic additively manufactured fingers which realize a moderate, structured compliance directly proximal to the gripped object. The geometry of finray-effect fingers are adapted to add form-closure features and realize a directionally-dependent stiffness at the fingertip, with a high stiffness to apply insertion forces and lower transverse stiffness to support alignment. Design parameters and mechanical properties of the fingers are investigated with FEM and empirical studies, analyzing the stiffness, maximum load, and viscoelastic effects. The fingers realize a remote center of compliance, which is shown to depend on the rib angle, and a directional stiffness ratio of $14-36$. The fingers are applied to a plug insertion task, realizing a tolerance window of $7.5$ mm and approach speeds of $1.3$ m/s.

翻译：精细装配任务（如电连接器插接）需同时满足严苛公差与敏感元件的保护，要求补偿对准误差的同时在插接方向施加足够力，理想情况下需具备高速作业能力并适配多型号元件。视觉、触觉或力传感器可补偿对准误差，但受限于有限带宽，限制安全装配速度。硅胶手指等被动柔顺结构能降低碰撞力并适配多种元件，但通常难以提供所需精度或装配力。为实现高速机械搜索与自对准插接，本文提出一种一体化增材制造手指，通过在被抓取物体近端直接实现适度的结构化柔顺性。通过改造鳍条效应手指几何结构以增加形状闭合特征，在指尖实现方向依赖性刚度：高刚度用于施加插接力，低横向刚度辅助对准。通过有限元分析与实验研究探究手指设计参数与力学特性，包括刚度、最大载荷及粘弹性效应。该手指实现远程柔顺中心，其位置取决于肋条角度，方向刚度比达14-36。将该手指应用于插头插入任务，实现7.5毫米容差窗口与1.3米/秒接近速度。