Robotic Gripper

thingiverse

I'm attending a Seminar on Computational Design at the University of Kassel, led by Professor Phillip Eversmann, where various programming techniques are being taught.\r\nAdditionally, the seminar has its own abb-Industry Robot, which can be used by students for their final project. The prototype was finally printed 3D at the Art Academy in Kassel and the programming was further refined under the guidance of Olaf Val. Many robotic tools are tailored to a specific task area and change with each different working step. The geometry of the gripper tool is strongly dependent on that of the object to be grasped.\r\nOur goal was to develop a gripper tool that can grasp various shapes from almost any material. For evaluation of the design and functionality, many prototypes were created using 3D printing. To determine the flexibility of the design, each gripper test was performed, where a cube, a ball, and an organic object should be grasped.\r\nFrom these insights, the final design has emerged. The gripper has 3 arms with relatively large grip surfaces, which have a phase at the edge. This is important to be able to absorb rectangular elements as well in a triangular arrangement. The orientation of the grip surfaces can also adapt to the shape of the object to be grasped.\r\nThis is made possible by a spring-loaded joint on the end pieces. For better adhesion, the grip surfaces are covered with rubber. Under the rubber, there is a pressure sensor in each case, which stops the gripper arm according to setting in its gripping process as soon as a certain pressure is reached.\r\nWith this, it becomes possible to grasp fragile bodies without damaging them. The programming of this feature was realized with Arduino. The gripping process itself occurs continuously. On a threaded rod, there is a plate that connects the grip elements. By rotating the screw, the plate can move through the thread on the screw, causing the gripper to open and close.