In this work, we present a generic approach to optimize the design of a parametrized robot gripper including both selected gripper mechanism parameters, and parameters of the finger geometry. We suggest six gripper quality indices that indicate different aspects of the performance of a gripper given a CAD model of an object and a task description. These quality indices are then used to learn ta...

We present a planner for a robot to keep an object stable under a sequence of external forces. We assume a robot with multiple manipulators, with a gripper at the end of each manipulator. We make two key contributions: First, given an external force, we propose a method to check the feasibility of gripper placements on the object to resist the force. This method takes into account both the mani...

This paper presents a triple-finger gripper driven by a piezoceramic (PZT) transducer for multi-target micromanipulation. The gripper consists of three fingers assembled on adjustable pedestals with flexible hinges for a large adjustable range. Each finger has a PZT actuator, an amplifying structure, and a changeable end effector. The moving trajectories of single and double fingers were calcul...

This paper is a summary of the recently accomplished research work on flexible gripping systems. The goal is to develop a gripper which can be used for a great amount of geometrically variant workpieces. The economic aspect is of particular importance during the whole development. The high flexibility of the gripper is obtained by three parallel used principles. These are human and computer bas...

The gripper cylinder that provides braced force for Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) might fail due to severe vibration when the TBM excavates in the tunnel. Early fault diagnosis of the gripper cylinder is important for the safety and efficiency of the whole tunneling project. In this paper, an online condition monitoring system based on the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method is established ...

Optical tweezers are used for manipulation of micron-sized dielectric beads and cells. Some biological cells are vulnerable to photo damage if subjected to laser based direct manipulation. In such cases, precise manipulation of these cells can be accomplished by using gripper formations made up of glass beads actuated by optical tweezers. Indirect manual manipulation of cells using optically he...

This paper describes the development of a novel vision-based grasping system for unknown objects based on range images. We realize a synthesis of the calculated grasp points with a 3D model of a hand prosthesis, which we are using as gripper. We locally find grasp point candidates based on the shape of the object and validate the globally by checking collisions between the gripper and surroundi...

This paper describes the study of a gripper using the surface tension effects to pick and place the 0.5mm or 0.3mm diameter balls of a millimetric watch bearing. Two liquid supply strategies have been tested (pressure drive and tip dip). The effects of the coating (through the measurement of the contact angles), the presence of an internal channel and the size of the gripper have been studied. ...

In this paper we explore state-of-the-art underactuated, compliant robot gripper designs through looking at their performance on a generic grasping task. Starting from a state of the art open gripper design, we propose design modifications, and importantly, evaluate all designs on a grasping experiment involving a selection of objects resulting in 3600 object-gripper interactions. Interested in...

A small-scale flexure-based gripper was designed for manipulation tasks requiring precision position and force control. The gripper is actuated by a piezoelectric ceramic stack actuator and utilizes strain gages to measure both the gripping force and displacement. The position and force bandwidths were designed for ten Hertz and one hundred Hertz, respectively, in order to afford human-based te...