Universal jamming gripper: experimental analysis on envelope and granular materials

I. de Rodrigo, J. Belart, A.J. López López

Machines Vol. 12, nº. 1, pp. 52-1 - 52-20

Resumen:

This article presents a materials optimization for the universal jamming gripper, one of the most versatile tools for robotic grasping. For this purpose, we analyze both the granular interior material and its surrounding deformable envelope. We combine four different granulate sizes (glass balls ranging from 0.2 to 1 mm) with four envelope materials (three silicones and latex), resulting in 16 prototype combinations. We use a tensile test machine to recreate the robot’s vertical movement in a real scenario situation. Thus, we can have precise control of the gripper’s immersion depth, forces, and displacements. Thanks to the tensile test, we extract the critical parameters to evaluate every material combination and the gripper’s performance. Therefore, we provide an experimental guide to selecting the right materials and rule out bad combinations for soft robots and specifically for the universal jamming gripper.

Resumen divulgativo:

Este estudio sobre el universal jamming gripper prueba 16 combinaciones de gránulos y envolturas. Descubre que el látex de paredes delgadas mejora el agarre y la capacidad de levantar peso al aumentar la fricción, esencial para muchas aplicaciones industriales robóticas.

Palabras Clave: universal jamming gripper; jamming effect; soft robotics

Índice de impacto JCR y cuartil WoS: 2,100 - Q2 (2023)

Referencia DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/machines12010052

Publicado en papel: Enero 2024.

Publicado on-line: Enero 2024.

Cita:
I. de Rodrigo, J. Belart, A.J. López López, Universal jamming gripper: experimental analysis on envelope and granular materials. Machines. Vol. 12, nº. 1, pp. 52-1 - 52-20, Enero 2024. [Online: Enero 2024]