Research on the Manipulator for Packing Apple Based on its Material Function

Abstract

In order to package the apples automatically, a special kind of flexible manipulator was designed. The manipulator was composed of three fingers, and each finger consists two series joints with a single degree of freedom, torsion spring was installed on the joints. The two-joint finger is stretched by a cable-driven, which is connected to piston rod of cylinder, grasping apple force come from two torsion springs. The desination of manipulator based on the mechanical properties of apple. Based on the material funciton of special kind of apple, the spring parameters was optimized. The designed manipulator will have a good supple adaptation to different size apples without causing damage to apple.