2016 - Case 5 - Soft material gripper module for KUKA robot arm
Channel: Jelle Saldien
Date: 03/02/2023

This paper gives a short overview of the design of a gripper module for a KUKA robot arm that is aimed at gripping soft materials without deformation or damage. A flexible material is used for the gripper claws and by using strain sensors the amount of deformation of the gripper claws is measured. These data are analyzed and give information about the hardness of the material. This system has its main applications in the nutrition sector where products of different hardness need to be handled. Due to the irregular shape of many food products, the gripper module is designed as a universal tool. The open-ended design of the system is enhanced by integrating a camera in the center of gripper to add the possibility to enhance the system with object recognition software. To allow for fast prototyping and testing, an Arduino Mega microcontroller is integrated in the design