Design of Soft Grippers with Modular Actuated Embedded Constraints

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative solution for press-fit technology processes, which could improve the precision of the positioning movements and the stiffness of the structural elements. Design/methodology/approach A concept is presented and the related kinematics is described. Then, preliminary embodiment evaluations have been performed in terms of kinematics, force control and load distribution on the main structural elements. Findings Thanks to the additional leg, the proposed solution allows a preload that is capable of compensating the backlash of joints. The particular structure with four extendible legs and eight cardan joints ensures the parallelism between the ground and the plate holding the end effector, without any need of additional controls. However, it implies that the legs are not subjected to pure tension–compression stresses. Research limitations/implications This work is focused on the conceptual phase of the design process, with only preliminary embodiment analysis that paves the way for subsequent and more detailed design steps. Especially concerning the actual stiffness of the system, comprehensive evaluations could be performed only after the identification of the particular parts/devices used to implement the main functional elements. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research work that comprehensively describes and analyzes the considered kinematics, within a real industrial application context.

show abstract

“…Proposed manipulator differs from recent solutions (Achilli et al, 2020) concerning precise manipulation with modular embedded constraints.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

New mechanism for press-fit processes: preliminary analysis

Fiorineschi

Pugi

Rotini

2021

WJE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, some gripper designs utilize soft actuators, nano-generators, and other NEMS components based on piezoelectric and magnetic properties of special materials to achieve soft and flexible compliance with the shape of the target objects [9,10]. For increased versatility and adaptability, some designs use a combination of rigid and soft modules in addition to using soft material to protect sensitive objects that will be grasped [11].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…θ 2 were assumed to be 0.5 rad/s 2 . Substituting these values in the previous result and using (11); the maximum force exerted by the fingertip equals: This vector represents the maximum force magnitude and orientation with RF 3 as the frame of reference.…”

Section: Force Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Gripper Control Design and Simulation for OpenROV Submarine Robot

Rawashdeh

Abu-Alrub

2021

Actuators

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this work, a design of a gripper for the underwater OpenROV vehicle is presented. OpenROV is an open-source underwater vehicle design for remote underwater exploration. It can enable systems of underwater internet of things and real-time monitoring. Mechanical aspects of the presented gripper design are discussed including actuation, motion transmission, kinematics and general arrangement, which resembles a delta robot. The Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) notation will be employed to define reference frames on one of the fingers in order to build transformation matrices and the forward kinematics matrix. The results from the forward kinematics are used to define the workspace that can be covered by each finger. The maximum force from the fingertip is estimated using Newton-Euler equations. Finally, the transfer function and the mass moment of inertia of the second link in the finger, that is, the fingertip is calculated for control simulations. A control stability analysis is provided and shows a stable system.

show abstract

“…It has high dexterity and versatility; however, it has a difficulty in accumulating actuators in a small hand. Soft grippers that use soft materials have been developed in recent years [24]- [29]. These grippers are operated using a gripper-shaped chamber fabricated from a soft material and injecting a fluid into the chamber to apply pneumatic or hydraulic pressure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snake Robot Gripper Module for Search and Rescue in Narrow Spaces

Han

Chon

Kim

et al. 2022

IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents a gripper module for a snakelike robot to perform search and rescue tasks in a narrow space. The proposed gripper module has three features: (1) It can accommodate the fingers inside its body. (2) It has three fingers that can grip objects with irregular surfaces stably. (3) One of the fingers is equipped with a camera on the fingertip to search in a narrow space. To implement the above features in a small, light, and compact gripper module, we propose a novel design of a gripper module with three fingers and eight degrees of freedom. The joint configuration of the proposed gripper is unique compared with a general-type gripper. A prototype of the proposed gripper module has been integrated into a snake-like robot to demonstrate its capability of performing rescue tasks in a collapsed environment. The three features of the proposed gripper module are experimentally verified: it is light (0.4kg), small (less than 68mm in diameter), and powerful (grasping force = 2.48kgf).

show abstract

Design of Soft Grippers with Modular Actuated Embedded Constraints

Cited by 27 publications

References 42 publications

New mechanism for press-fit processes: preliminary analysis

New mechanism for press-fit processes: preliminary analysis

Gripper Control Design and Simulation for OpenROV Submarine Robot

Snake Robot Gripper Module for Search and Rescue in Narrow Spaces

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About