Versatile Soft Robot Gripper Enabled by Stiffness and Adhesion Tuning via Thermoplastic Composite.
Soft Robot
; 9(2): 189-200, 2022 04.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33481683
ABSTRACT
Within the field of robotics, stiffness tuning technologies have potential for a variety of applications-perhaps most notably for robotic grasping. Many stiffness tuning grippers have been developed that can grasp fragile or irregularly shaped objects without causing damage and while still accommodating large loads. In addition to limiting gripper deformation when lifting an object, increasing gripper stiffness after contact formation improves load sharing at the interface and enhances adhesion. In this study, we present a novel stiffness and adhesion tuning gripper, enabled by the thermally induced phase change of a thermoplastic composite material embedded within a silicone contact pad. The gripper operates by bringing the pad into contact with an object while in its heated, soft state, and then allowing the pad to cool and stiffen to form a strong adhesive bond before lifting the object. Pull-off tests conducted using the gripper show that transitioning from a soft to stiff state during grasping enables up to 6 × increase in adhesion strength. Additionally, a finite element model is developed to simulate the behavior of the gripper. Finally, pick-and-place demonstrations are performed, which highlight the gripper's ability to delicately grasp objects of various shapes, sizes, and weights.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Robotics
Language:
En
Journal:
Soft Robot
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Estados Unidos