Patent ID: 11938618
Assignee: BERKSHIRE GREY OPERATING COMPANY, INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 23:
24. A method of grasping an object with an end-effector that includes a body that provides an open interior that is coupled to a vacuum, said method comprising:
contacting a contact portion of the body with the object, the contact portion having a plurality of apertures defined therein;
applying a vacuum through the plurality of apertures in the contact portion to the object to primarily engage the object through tension force between the contact portion and the object; and
permitting the contact portion of the body to bend along at least one bend path while grasping the object such that the object becomes primarily engaged with the object via a shear force that is greater than the tension force between the contact portion and the object,
wherein the at least one bend path is defined by at least one hinge portion that comprises a series of apertures in the contact portion.