Researchers have been applying electrostatic force to the handling and restraint of materials for a large part of the twentieth century. The principle has recently been applied to the robotic handling of non-rigid materials, for which it shows anumber of advantages over other gripping methods. This paper introduces the concepts and requirements of electrostatic gripping of such materials, and then details selection procedures for dielectric materials. It is found that analysis of the grippingtechnique produces dielectric material requirements quite different from those expected from a preliminary study of the device.Implementation and manufacture of these robotic devices are then described for a potential application. A robotic cell has been constructed, and integration of the electrostatic gripping device into the cell is detailed. The paper concludes with a summary of the scope, advantages and limitations of the resultant system.
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