Evaluating Form-flexible Gripper in Robotic Manipulation Tasks

Common grippers used in robotic manipulation are typically designed for specific tasks, tailored to accommodate anticipated variations in object geometry, surface texture, and weight. Some grippers exist that ensure grasping a range of objects. One promising approach utilizes gripping pads that adapt the geometry and shape of the object to manipulate following by constructing a vacuum to create the effective gripping force. We propose an evaluation of a gripper that uses a circular gripping pad able to adapt to the geometry and surface of the objects to manipulate. In order to assess the gripper’s performance we utilize an optical measurement system to observe the manipulation process including various objects to be manipulated. Analyzing the data obtained from the optical tracking system enables us to evaluate the precision of grasping different objects. One experiment includes the picking of an object from a predefined initial position, performing free space motion before returning back to the initial position. The preliminary results indicate positional deviations of up to 10.36 mm.