Mass customized shoe production: a highly reconfigurable robotic device for handling limp material

This paper describes the EUROShoeE (extended user-oriented shoe enterprise) Project which aims to aid the shoe industry to transform its goods from being mass produced to being mass customized. This paper focuses on the results obtained in the critical field of the flexible handling of limp, synthetic and natural materials. An innovative device that enables a multipoint grasp, firm hold, and gentle transfer of limp items is presented. The design process used fully implemented digital mock-ups and ran extended virtual trims to accomplish the analysis of the prospective fixtures dynamic behavior as a stand-alone device and as an integrated end-effector of a robotic system. The prototype of the robotic device was created, and performance tests were started.