Single-Fingered Reconfigurable Robotic Gripper With a Folding Mechanism for Narrow Working Spaces

This letter proposes a novel single-fingered reconfigurable robotic gripper for grasping objects in narrow working spaces. The finger of the developed gripper realizes two configurations, namely, the insertion and grasping modes, using only a single motor. In the insertion mode, the finger assumes a thin shape such that it can insert its tip into a narrow space. The grasping mode of the finger is activated through a folding mechanism. Mode switching can be achieved in two ways: switching the mode actively by a motor, or combining passive rotation of the fingertip through contact with the support surface and active motorized construction of the claw. The latter approach is effective when it is unclear how much finger insertion is required for a specific task. The structure provides a simple control scheme. The performance of the proposed robotic gripper design and control methodology was experimentally evaluated. The minimum width of the insertion space required to grasp an object is 4 mm (1 mm, when using a strategy).

Variable-Grasping-Mode Gripper With Different Finger Structures For Grasping Small-Sized Items

This letter presents a novel small gripper capable of grasping various types of small-sized items from flat surfaces for the assembly of small devices. Using a single actuator, the proposed gripper realizes two grasping modes: parallel-grip and turn-over modes. The gripper's mode can be switched via contact with a flat surface, such as a table. Handling thin thicknesses and light weights are the key challenges faced in attempts to grasp small-sized items. Although parallel grippers are effective in handling small items, there is a limit to the thinness of objects that can be grasped by parallel grippers. Accordingly, the turn-over mode was adopted to grasp items that exceeded this threshold. In the turn-over mode, one finger lifts the item, while another finger holds the item from above to keep it from flicking out. The proposed gripper is capable of picking up several types of items from a table, including thin (0.05 mm) and lightweight (0.007 g) items.