An Octopus-Inspired Bionic Flexible Gripper for Apple Grasping

When an octopus grasps something, the rigidity of its tentacle can change greatly, which allowing for unlimited freedom, agility, and precision. Inspired by this, a three-finger flexible bionic robot gripper was designed for apple picking. First, a flexible chamber finger was designed to drive the gripper finger to elongate, shorten, and bend, which works through a process of inflating and deflating. Further, we proposed a three-finger mode to achieve two kinds of motion states: grasping and relaxing, by simulating the movement of an octopus grasping at something. In this paper, we evaluated the bending property of the designed flexible bionic gripper through an apple grasping experiment. The experimental results show that the 100.0 g bionic gripper can load an apple with a weight of 246.5~350.0 g and a diameter of 69.0~99.0 mm, and the grasping success rate is 100%. It has a good grasping performance. Compared to other soft grippers, the proposed bionic flexible gripper has the advantages of being lightweight, and having good cushioning, low driving air pressure, and a strong grasping force.

Strength Analysis of the Truck Wheel Rim Robot Gripper

This paper presents a study of the strength of the truck rim robot gripper structure using the finite element analysis system Solidworks Simulation. The developed CAD model of the gripper was adapted to the research by Solidworks Simulation system, which was used to evaluate the strength and stiffness of the structure. Construction optimization was performed, the obtained results were compared.

Optimization of constrained mechanical design problems using the equilibrium optimization algorithm

In this work, the optimization of structural and mechanical problems is carried out using the equilibrium optimizer (EO), which is a recent physical-based algorithm.The the ten-bar planar truss structure, planetary gearbox, hydrostatic thrust bearing, and robot gripper mechanism problems are solved using the EO algorithm. The results achieved using the EO in solving these problems are compared with those of recent algorithms. The computational results show that EO yields better outcomes and competitive results that can also be applied for the other problems studied.

Force transmission analysis of surface coating materials for multi-fingered robotic grippers

Robotic systems are generally used for grasping, carrying, holding, and many similar operations, typically in industrial applications. One of the most important components of robotic systems is robot grippers for the aforementioned operations, which are not only mission-critical but also represent a significant operational cost due to the time and expense associated with replacement. Grasping operations require sensitive and dexterous manipulation ability. As a consequence, tactile materials and sensors are an essential element in effective robot grippers; however, to date, little effort has been invested in the optimization of these systems. This study has set out to develop inexpensive, easily replaced pads, testing two different chemical compositions that are used to produce a tactile material for robot grippers, with the objective of generating cost, time, and environmental savings. Each tactile material produced has its specific individual dimension and weight. First, each of the materials under construction was tested under different constant pressures, and its characteristics were analyzed. Second, each tactile material was mounted on a two-fingered robot gripper and its characteristics. Material characteristics were tested and analyzed as regards their ability to grasp different sizes and types of objects using the two-fingered robot gripper. Based on the analysis of the results the most sensitive and cost-effective material for industrial type multi-fingered grippers was identified.