0957-4174/$ see front matter 2012 Elsevier Ltd. A http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2012.07.076 ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (D. Petković) It is known that robotic manipulators are highly nonlinear systems, and an accurate mathematical model is difficult to obtain, thus making it difficult to analyze with conventional analytical methods. Here, a novel design of an ...

Smart materials have been widely used for control actuation. A robotic hand can be equipped with artificial tendons and sensors for the operation of its various joints, mimicking human hand motions. The motors in the robotic hand could be replaced with novel electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators. In the three-finger gripper proposed in this paper, each finger can be actuated individually so tha...

Precision assembly of hybrid micro systems requires not only a high precision handling and adjusting of the parts but also a highly accurate and fast bonding technique. In this field adhesive technology is one of the major joining techniques. At the Collaboration Research Center 516, a batch process based on a joining technique using hot melt adhesives was developed. This technique allows the c...

This paper examines joint coupling in underactuated robotic grippers for unstructured environments where object properties and location may not be well known. A simplified grasper consisting of a pair of two-link planar fingers with compliant revolute joints was simulated as it grasped a target object. The joint coupling configuration of the gripper was varied in order to maximize successful gr...

The paper introduces an experimental setup for the automatic manipulation of microcomponents, based on a 4 dof robot with Shoenflies motion and a two-camera vision system. The general architecture of the workcell is presented. The work-cell functionality was tested via repeatability experiments using a set of vacuum grippers. Due to their intrinsic simplicity, vacuum grippers are very cheap and...

This paper presents the design and analysis of a novel variable-stiffness robotic gripper, RobInLab VS gripper. The purpose is to have gripper that strong reliable as rigid grippers but adaptable soft grippers. achieved by designing modular fingers combine jamming material core with an external structure, made flexible materials. allows finger softly adapt object shapes when capsule not active,...

Sizes and stiffness variations of actively deformable objects pose significant challenges on the design compliant constant-force gripper. This paper presents a curved-beam based constant force gripper which is composed module, bistable preloading module linear guide. A mechanism designed to generate output, non-constant motion range further eliminated via curved-based module. After formulation ...

We describe a combined force and distance sensor using a commodity infrared distance sensor embedded in a transparent elastomer with applications in robotic manipulation. Prior to contact, the sensor works as a distance sensor (0–10 cm), whereas after contact the material doubles as a spring, with force proportional to the compression of the elastomer (0– 5 N). We describe its principle of oper...

Manus is a wheelchair mounted manipulator, meant to assist severely handicapped people in carrying out all day living tasks, such as eating, drinking, scratching etc. The manipulator has six rotational degrees of freedom for positioning and orienting the gripper, one degree of freedom for opening and closing the gripper, and one (optional) degree of freedom for lifting the entire manipulator. M...

The outlet feeder pipe thinning in a PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor) is caused by high pressure steam flow inside the pipe, which is a well known degradation mechanism called FAC (Flow Assisted Corrosion). In order to monitor the degradation, the thickness of the outlet bends closed to the exit of the pressure tube should be measured and analyzed at every official overhaul. This paper de...