CALCULATION AND DESIGN OF UNDERACTUATED 3-FINGER GRIPPER

Abstract

This paper presents work on calculation and design of under-actuated 3-
finger gripper which is suitable for research in robot manipulation of objects for
industrial and service applications. The conceptualization, the design and the
prototype of the gripper are presented, along with the kinematic and static
analysis of its mechanism. The proposed versatile gripper is based on a simple
mechanism, where the two of the three fingers are under-actuated and driven
by a differential mechanism. Also, the plan for the sequence and the
synchronization of the movements of the fingers is defined according to the
grasping task. Grasping performance of the design is evaluated by using
simulation software such as Autodesk Inventor and Matlab/Simulink. After that a
prototype of the gripper is produced using 3D printing technique and is
integrated with electronic actuation system. The prototype has been tested
experimentally under several grasping tasks, where its agility is demonstrated.