{"paper":{"title":"Electrostatic Clutch-Based Mechanical Multiplexer with Increased Force Capability","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"Electrostatic capstan clutches let one motor drive a four-DoF robotic hand to 212 N output forces.","cross_cats":["cs.SY","eess.SY"],"primary_cat":"cs.RO","authors_text":"Chad C. Kessens, Jeffrey I. Lipton, Jeffrey T. Auletta, Joshua R. Smith, Timothy E. Amish","submitted_at":"2025-01-14T22:30:38Z","abstract_excerpt":"As robotic systems become increasingly articulated, conventional actuation still dedicates one motor to each degree of freedom (DoF). Mechanical multiplexers address this limitation by allowing a single motor to control multiple outputs through clutches, reducing the number of required motors. However, previous multiplexers have relied on bulky mechanical clutch designs, limiting their development. This study presents an electrostatic capstan clutch-based transmission architecture that enables high-force mechanical multiplexing with independent, simultaneous, and fully actuated control of mult"},"claims":{"count":4,"items":[{"kind":"strongest_claim","text":"We demonstrated these on a four-DoF tendon-driven robotic hand where a single motor achieved output forces of up to 212 N, increased vertical grip strength by 4.09 times, and raised horizontal carrying capacity to 111.2 N, the highest currently among five-fingered tendon-driven robotic hands.","source":"verdict.strongest_claim","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C1","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"weakest_assumption","text":"The electrostatic clutches transmit the reported high forces reliably without slippage, wear, or control overhead that would reduce net output under the tested multiplexing conditions.","source":"verdict.weakest_assumption","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C2","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"one_line_summary","text":"An electrostatic capstan clutch multiplexer enables single-motor SISO and SIMO control of tendon outputs, demonstrated on a four-DoF hand with 212 N forces, 4.09x grip increase, and 111.2 N horizontal carry capacity.","source":"verdict.one_line_summary","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C3","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"headline","text":"Electrostatic capstan clutches let one motor drive a four-DoF robotic hand to 212 N output forces.","source":"verdict.pith_extraction.headline","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C4","attestation":"unclaimed"}],"snapshot_sha256":"37e93a49371307d8f887398d79844c6372bfb54061d39753c252fdcea155a4f0"},"source":{"id":"2501.08469","kind":"arxiv","version":5},"verdict":{"id":"599396e2-b89b-49ac-ae3b-94fa9f23019d","model_set":{"reader":"grok-4.3"},"created_at":"2026-05-23T04:53:17.060641Z","strongest_claim":"We demonstrated these on a four-DoF tendon-driven robotic hand where a single motor achieved output forces of up to 212 N, increased vertical grip strength by 4.09 times, and raised horizontal carrying capacity to 111.2 N, the highest currently among five-fingered tendon-driven robotic hands.","one_line_summary":"An electrostatic capstan clutch multiplexer enables single-motor SISO and SIMO control of tendon outputs, demonstrated on a four-DoF hand with 212 N forces, 4.09x grip increase, and 111.2 N horizontal carry capacity.","pipeline_version":"pith-pipeline@v0.9.0","weakest_assumption":"The electrostatic clutches transmit the reported high forces reliably without slippage, wear, or control overhead that would reduce net output under the tested multiplexing conditions.","pith_extraction_headline":"Electrostatic capstan clutches let one motor drive a four-DoF robotic hand to 212 N output forces."},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2501.08469/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[],"snapshot_sha256":"c28c3603d3b5d939e8dc4c7e95fa8dfce3d595e45f758748cecf8e644a296938"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}