A Compliant Gripper with Two-Dimensional Force Sensing on Each Finger
Journal
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics
Journal Volume
29
Journal Issue
2
Start Page
1041
End Page
1051
ISSN
10834435
Date Issued
2024
Author(s)
Abstract
Various sensorized grippers have been developed to handle delicate objects safely and avoid environmental collisions. These grippers have sensors mounted on their fingers' surface that provide direct force measurements. However, multiple sensors are often required on one finger, leading to significant sensor placement and wire routing complexity. Finger-based sensors are limited to sensing external gripping force, and fingers cannot be easily replaced to meet the requirements of objects with specific geometries. To overcome the complexity and limitations of finger surface sensors, this article proposes a compliant two-fingered gripper that relies on the deformation sensing of elastic elements in the drivetrain to obtain finger force. By using a minimum number of optical encoders placed in the drivetrain, multidimensional and independent force sensing can be achieved at any location of each finger. The electronic complexity of the fingers can also be minimized. Experimental verifications and gripping examples demonstrate the proposed compliant gripper's merits. We expect this new compliant gripper to provide a more competitive solution for robots to manipulate objects in force-sensitive environments.
Subjects
Compliant Gripper
Environmental Contact Detection
Multidimensional Force Sensing And Control
Optical Encoder
Planar Spring
Repeatability
Signal Encoding
Complexity Theory
Compliant Gripper
Contact Detection
Environmental Contact Detection
Force
Force Sensing
Multidimensional Force Sensing And Control
Optical Encoder
Planar Spring
Repeatability
Robot Sensing System
Grippers
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Type
journal article