Search

Aiming to expand the range of applications for parallel grippers, we propose an extension nail mechanism that can be mounted on a parallel gripper. We also propose an extension nail mechanism comprising a stainless steel belt, two transport belts, a triangular nail, and a drive unit. The triangular nail is connected to one end of the stainless steel belt, and the drive unit is connected near the other end. We achieve smooth sliding of the nails underneath objects by arranging the transport belts on either side of the stainless steel belt. By elastically winding one end of the stainless steel belt and each of the transport belts, the nail mechanism can be miniaturized while achieving large expansion and contraction. We achieve stable grasping operations by using the extension nail mechanism of the parallel gripper in accordance with the flexibility of the object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

We propose a robotic finger with an exoskeleton-type structure that bends and extends by the deformation force of flat tubes. Our objective is to realize a disposable robot hand for gripping unsanitary objects. To reduce the cost of disposing of the robotic finger, a commercially available cable carrier chain was used for the exoskeleton component, and the flat tubes used in the pneumatic actuator were prepared by thermal processing of a commercially available tube. The driving joint of the robotic finger consists of a hollow link mechanism and two flat tubes, which are respectively arranged inside the hollow link mechanism and at the joint boundary. The proposed joint structure achieves both smooth drivability and good load-bearing capacity. The developed robotic finger weighs approximately 85 g and generates a fingertip force of approximately 4 N when a pressure of 0.25 MPa is applied. Because the developed robotic finger is pneumatically driven, it conforms to the object shape and is compliant to external force. Verification of the mechanism demonstrated that the developed robotic finger is useful because it was able to grasp six types of assumed objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...