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Beyond Human Hand: Shape-Adaptive and Reversible Magnetorheological Elastomer-Based Robot Gripper Skin.
Dong-Soo Choi1, Tae-Hoon Kim2, Seok-Han Lee2
1School of Computer Science, College of Engineering and Information Technology, Semyung University, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do 27136, Republic of Korea.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|September 2, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a novel gripper skin using magnetorheological elastomer. This adaptive skin conforms to various object shapes, solidifies with a magnetic field for secure grasping, and returns to its original form after release, protecting fragile items.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Materials Science
- Soft Robotics
Background:
- Grasping diverse objects (fragile, arbitrary shapes) with robotic grippers presents significant challenges.
- Existing robotic grippers often lack the adaptability and gentleness required for handling delicate or uniquely shaped items.
- A universal solution for robotic manipulation is needed to overcome these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a universal, shape-adaptive, and reversible gripper skin for robotic applications.
- To enable damage-free grasping of fragile, multiscaled, and arbitrarily shaped objects.
- To create a hardness-variable gripper skin using magnetorheological elastomer.
Main Methods:
- A magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) gripper skin was designed and attached to a standard robot gripper.
- The MRE skin was engineered to conform to the shape of target objects upon grasping.
- A magnetic field was applied to solidify the MRE skin, enabling secure object retention.
- The magnetic field was removed to allow the gripper skin to return to its original shape.
Main Results:
- The proposed gripper skin successfully adapted its shape to various objects, including cylinders, cuboids, and triangular prisms.
- Solidification via a magnetic field allowed for easy and secure grasping of the target objects.
- The gripper skin demonstrated rapid shape restoration after the magnetic field was removed, ensuring reversibility.
- The adaptive gripper skin proved effective in grasping diverse object geometries without causing damage.
Conclusions:
- The developed magnetorheological elastomer gripper skin offers a versatile and effective solution for robotic grasping.
- This adaptive gripper technology facilitates the handling of fragile and irregularly shaped objects, expanding robotic manipulation capabilities.
- The reversible and hardness-variable nature of the gripper skin enhances its utility across a wide range of applications.
Keywords:
adaptive skinelastomer compositesmagnetorheological effectshape adaptationshape memorysoft gripper
