The present application relates to mechanical fingersand more particularly to mechanical fingers used inprosthesis applications and in technical-aid applications,amongst numerous possible applications.BACKGROUND OF THE ARTMechanical fingers of all types have been developed asa function of various applications. One common type ofmechanical finger has phalanges in an articulatedconfiguration, to simulate the human finger. In suchconfigurations, the articulated phalanges are displaced withrespect to one another to grasp objects of all shapes. Forinstance, U.S. Patent No. 5,762,390, by Gosselin et al.,describes a mechanical finger performing motions similar tothat of the human finger. Accordingly, a set of mechanicalfingers of Gosselin et al. can be used to perform actionssuch as a pinch grasps. The mechanical finger taught byGosselin et al. is more practical in industrialapplications. The mechanical finger of Gosselin et al. ismade of rigid phalanges that can support substantialweights. In domestic applications, such a mechanical fingermay be impractical, especially in an environment withrelatively fragile objects.
