Gripper With Adaptability to Environmental Constraints

Recently, with the increasing use of robots in various fields, there is a need for robot grippers to be adaptable to various environments, to avoid collisions and to grip objects safely. In this study a cam-based underactuated gripper with environmental adaptation (CUGEA) is proposed. Through a cam-based mechanism, the gripper links rotate like a rotary gripper to obtain a wide stroke, and at the same time, the tip performs a linear motion, thereby reducing the possibility of collisions between the gripper and the environment due to positional error or environmental constraints. In particular, the CUGEA is capable of adaptive grasping through an underactuated mechanism. By combining cam-based and underactuated mechanism, vertical and horizontal adaptations such as scooping movements are also possible. Various experiments verified the adaptability of the gripper in the environment that requires horizontal and vertical adaptation.