The KIT swiss knife gripper for disassembly tasks: a multi-functional gripper for bimanual manipulation with a single arm

© 20xx IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.This work presents the concept of a robotic gripper designed for the disassembly of electromechanical devices that comprises several innovative ideas. Novel concepts include the ability to interchange built-in tools without the need to grasp them, the ability to reposition grasped objects in-hand, the capability of performing classic dual arm manipulation within the gripper and the utilization of classic industrial robotic arms kinematics within a robotic gripper. We analyze state of the art grippers and robotic hands designed for dexterous in-hand manipulation and extract common characteristics and weak points. The presented concept is obtained from the task requirements for disassembly of electromechanical devices and it is then evaluated for general purpose grasping, in-hand manipulation and operations with tools. We further present the CAD design for a first prototype.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Form-flexible handling and joining technology (formhand) for the forming and assembly of limp materials

The assembly of limp, elastic or differently shaped objects poses a huge challenge which needs to be met by machine tools and the corresponding processes of handling, forming and joining. These processes are often carried out manually. This technological gap triggered the present work at the Technische Universität Braunschweig. A novel form-flexible handling tool (FormHand) is presented which focuses on the automation of these production steps taking into consideration the material behavior. The combination of the flexibility of both industrial robot and the FormHand end-effector allows for new processes appropriate for these materials. This article investigates the used materials of the granular filler and the cushion textile, the working states of FormHand and the use of online sensors for an automated process application

Part clamping and fixture geometric adaptability for reconfigurable assembly systems.

Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban, 2017.The Fourth Industrial Revolution is leading towards cyber-physical systems which justified research efforts in pursuing efficient production systems incorporating flexible grippers. Due to the complexity of assembly processes, reconfigurable assembly systems have received considerable attention in recent years. The demand for the intricate task and complicated operations, demands the need for efficient robotic manipulators that are required to manoeuvre and grasp objects effectively. Investigations were performed to understand the requirements of efficient gripping systems and existing gripping methods. A biologically inspired robotic gripper was investigated to establish conformity properties for the performance of a robotic gripper system. The Fin Ray Effect® was selected as a possible approach to improve effective gripping and reduce slippage of component handling with regards to pick and place procedures of assembly processes. As a result, the study established the optimization of self-adjusting end-effectors. The gripper system design was simulated and empirically tested. The impact of gripping surface compliance and geometric conformity was investigated. The gripper system design focused on the response of load applied to the conformity mechanism called the Fin Ray Effect®. The appendages were simulated to determine the deflection properties and stress distribution through a finite element analysis. The simulation proved that the configuration of rib structures of the appendages affected the conformity to an applied force representing an object in contact. The system was tested in real time operation and required a control system to produce an active performance of the system. A mass loading test was performed on the gripper system. The repeatability and mass handling range was determined. A dynamic operation was tested on the gripper to determine force versus time properties throughout the grasping movement for a pick and place procedure. The fluctuating forces generated through experimentation was related to the Lagrangian model describing forces experienced by a moving object. The research promoted scientific contribution to the investigation, analysis, and design of intelligent gripping systems that can potentially be implemented in the operational processes of on-demand production lines for reconfigurable assembly systems

Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time

이온성 폴리머-금속 복합재료 마이크로 그리퍼의 제작 및 평가

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 기계공학과, 2022.2. 안성훈.Electroactive polymers (EAPs) have been studied as materials for soft, lightweight and durable artificial muscles. Such materials can be used as an alternative to conventional mechanical systems in environments that deal with small, fragile objects and require accurate position control. Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is one of the promising actuator materials because of its large strain, high work density, and low driving voltage. However, it is difficult to process and drive a micro-structured IPMC actuator for handling small objects. This paper presents design and fabrication method for an unprecedented IPMC microgripper. First, a micro-structured IPMC strip is fabricated by laser beam machining, and its actuation characteristics depending on the geometry is analyzed. A hand-shaped design of 500 um wide and 3 mm long is determined for the microgripper. The gripper is able to capture objects within 0.5 seconds, with each segment facing each other and interlocking fingers. In this way, objects with a diameter of 2 mm and up to 1.01 g can be held through the 4-finger IPMC microgripper. Applications of the gripper are validated by grasping small, irregular-shaped objects such as starfish-shaped acrylic stones and even fruit flies.전기활성 고분자 (EAP)는 부드럽고 가볍고 내구성이 있는 인공 근육의 재료로 연구되어 왔다. 이러한 재료는 작고 취약한 물체를 다루며 정확한 위치 제어가 필요한 환경에서 전통적 기계 시스템에 대한 대안으로 사용될 수 있다. 이온성 폴리머-금속 복합재료 (IPMC)는 변형률이 크고 에너지 밀도가 높으며 구동 전압이 낮아 유망한 구동기 소재 중 하나이다. 그러나 작은 물체를 다루기 위한 마이크로 IPMC 구동기를 설계하고 구동하기는 어렵다. 본 논문은 전례 없는 IPMC 마이크로그리퍼를 제안 및 평가하였다. 미세 구조의 IPMC 구동기는 레이저 빔을 통해 가공되었고, 그 형상의 변화에 따른 작동 특성을 분석하였다. 그 결과 너비 500um, 길이 3mm의 구동부를 가진 손 모양 설계가 결정되었다. IPMC 마이크로그리퍼는 각 세그먼트가 서로 마주보고 손가락을 맞물리게 하여 0.5초 이내에 물체를 잡을 수 있다. 4손가락 IPMC 마이크로그리퍼를 통해 최소 직경 2mm, 그리고 최대 무게 1.01g의 물체를 잡을 수 있었다. 제안한 그리퍼는 초파리나 불가사리 모양의 아크릴 스톤과 같이 작고 불규칙한 모양의 물체를 다룰 수 있어, 생물학 및 다양한 분야에서의 활용이 기대된다.Abstract i List of Figures iv List of Tables vi 1 Introduction 1 2 Literature review 3 3 Theoretical background 4 3.1 Principle of IPMC deformation 4 3.2 Actuation characteristics of bulk IPMC 6 3.3 Equivalent electrical model for IPMC 7 3.4 Comparison with other materials 8 4 Fabrication 10 4.1 Laser beam machining (LBM) 11 4.2 LBM error 14 5 Experiments 17 5.1 Width-to-thickness ratio effect 18 5.2 Length-to-width ratio effect 20 5.3 Experimental setup 22 6 Results 24 6.1 Results for width-to-thickness ratio effect 24 6.2 Results for length-to-width ratio effect 26 6.3 Design for IPMC microgripper 27 6.4 Evaluation for IPMC microgripper 30 7 Conclusion 34 Abstract (In Korean) 40석

Potentialities of optimal design methods and associated numerical tools for the development of new micro- and nanointelligent systems based on structural compliance - An example -

11 pagesInternational audienceThis paper deals with the interest and potential use of intelligent structures mainly based on compliant mechanisms (and optionally including smart materials), for the development of new micro- and nano-robotics devices. The state of the art in optimal design methods for the synthesis of intelligent compliant structures is briefly done. Then, we present the optimal method developed at CEA LIST, called FlexIn, and its new and still in development functionalities, which will be illustrated by a few simple design examples. An opening will be given about the possibility to address the field of Nanorobotics, while adding functionalities to the optimal design method

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures