研究実績の概要 |
Research Objectives: To develop a multi-material 3D printed variable stiffness soft robotic gripper to ensure grasping robustness during high acceleration. Research Contents: The proposed gripper contains two identical soft fingers, with each finger including a pneumatic actuator and an integrated layer jamming unit. Prototypes of the soft finger, with material hardness transfer from the soft-bodied actuator to the hard pneumatic tubing and layer jamming unit, are fully fabricated by one-step 3D printing. The printed soft finger has a complex inner geometry which integrates a small, light and flexible layer jamming unit. The proposed finger can freely deform at low stiffness and maintain its grasping robustness at high stiffness during high acceleration. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design, the gripper is mounted on a robotic arm to evaluate its grasping robustness. With the aid of the integrated layer jamming unit, grasping robustness can be guaranteed when the robotic arm is moving at acceleration up to 8 m/s2. The results show that the proposed soft gripper is an effective design which can guarantee grasping robustness during high acceleration.
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