Fluid Pressure Monitoring-Based Strategy for Delicate Grasping of Fragile Objects by A Robotic Hand with Fluid...

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional robotic grippers struggle with fragile objects.
• Soft robotic grippers offer potential but require complex control.
• Fluid fingertips provide a compliant and adaptable grasping interface.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a strategy for delicate grasping of fragile objects using fluid fingertips.
• To identify an optimal grasping point that minimizes object damage and maximizes force transmission.
• To create a robust grasping method independent of object properties and fingertip/object deformation data.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a robotic gripper with highly deformable fluid fingertips filled with incompressible fluid.
• Detecting the preferable grasping point by analyzing the change in fluid pressure relative to pushing distance at a constant speed.
• Employing a method that does not require information on the deformation or stiffness of the fingertips or the target object.
• Comparing fitting accuracies of models using fluid pressure and pushing distance data to identify the grasping point.

Main Results:

• The proposed strategy successfully identifies a preferable grasping point for fragile objects.
• The method ensures minimal object fracturing while effectively transmitting grasping force.
• The grasping point detection is consistent and does not rely on object-specific parameters or complex material property data.
• Experimental validation confirmed the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed grasping strategy.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy enables delicate grasping of fragile objects with fluid fingertips.
• The method offers a simplified yet effective approach to robotic grasping by analyzing pressure-force dynamics.
• This technique advances soft robotics by providing a robust and adaptable solution for handling delicate items.