Gripper with precisely adjustable gripping force

The article focuses on modifications made on an existing gripper mounted on a teleoperated manipulator arm of the military mobile robotic system TAROS. The reason of these modifications was to allow handling of objects with a large range of weight and strength, which requires fully and precisely adjustable gripping force with feedback. The implemented solution uses a strain gauge applied to a selected part of the gripping mechanism to provide feedback of the real actual gripping force and an improved control system with a graphical user interface allowing an easy but effective way of control. The article also describes necessary stress analyses and adjustments of the mechanical part with a strain gauge, some tests, and comparisons of various methods of gripping force control and calibration of the whole system.