Patent ID: 8025323

Claim:
A ratcheting end-of-arm tool for robotic arms, comprising: a level compensator comprising: a housing; a shaft slidably mounted to said housing; a gripper mounted to a distal end of said shaft; a shaft spring biasing said shaft with respect to said housing such that said distal end of said shaft is biased away from said housing; and a ratcheting mechanism, comprising: said shaft having a plurality of slots formed therein; a detent; and a detent movement agency to selectively locate the detent in a slot of said plurality of slots in order to lock position of the shaft with respect to the housing; wherein said detent movement agency comprises: said detent being composed of a magnetic material; a detent spring biasing said detent toward said shaft; and a solenoid which when energized magnetically pulls said detent away from said shaft, overcoming the biasing of said detent spring.