A Reconfigurable Gripper Inspired by Elastic Belt for Versatile In-Hand Manipulations

Rigid and flexible grippers each have distinct advantages, yet their drawbacks are also evident. Combining the strengths of both types of grippers could significantly enhance the gripper's adaptability to various tasks. In this letter, we introduce a novel design of an elastic belt-based reconfigurable gripper capable of rapidly switching between rigid and flexible states. This gripper achieves state switches using a specially designed linkage mechanism, and realizes the belt transmission through motor-powered pulleys. We concentrate on the main structure of this novel gripper, and use mathematical models to elucidate the finger's kinematics properties. Finally, the experimental data are analyzed and discussed to verify the properties of the real gripper, thus confirming the advantage of cooperative operations in both rigid and flexible states.