The KIT Gripper: A Multi-Functional Gripper for Disassembly Tasks

We introduce a multi-functional robotic gripper equipped with a set of actions required for disassembly of electromechanical devices. The gripper consists of a robot arm with 5 degrees of freedom (DoF) for manipulation and a jaw gripper with a 1-DoF rotation joint and a 1-DoF closing joint. The system enables manipulation in 7 DoF and offers the ability to reposition objects in hand and to perform tasks that usually require bimanual systems. The sensor system of the gripper includes relative and absolute joint encoders, force and pressure sensors to provide feedback about interaction forces, a tool- mounted camera for screw detection and precise placement of the tool tip using image-based visual servoing. We present a data-driven method for estimating joint torques based on the output voltage and motor speed. Further, we provide methods for teaching disassembly actions based on human demonstration, their representation as movement primitives and execution based on sensory feedback. We provide quantitative results regarding positioning and torque estimation accuracy, disassembly success rate and qualitative results regarding the successful disassembly of hard disc drives.