Testing flexible grippers for geometric and surface grasping conformity in reconfigurable assembly systems

Abstract

The ongoing development in manufacturing technology facilitates flexibility in production and faces challenges of product handling. Flexibility was required in the form of adaptable grippers for robotic arms in pick-and-place procedures for reconfigurable assembly systems. A conceptual system was designed and tested according to the surface geometric conformity of grasped objects. The system proposed was a biologically inspired Fin Ray Effect® gripper. Grasping occurs due to the deformation of the rib structure of the appendage. The appendages were simulated for conformity by means of a finite element analysis, and performance was analysed by means of a physical sample mass test and a force test.