A Universal Soft Gripper with the Optimized Fin Ray Finger

摘要

This paper presents a soft gripper that improves on the Fin Ray finger for enhanced gripping capability; it can be used to transfer workpieces in manufacturing processes. A system that can switch between parallel and centric grips was designed and fabricated to extend the working geometry. The structure of the finger was investigated through simulation, and friction pads were designed to improve the gripping force. In the simulation, the effect of each individual structural parameter was analyzed, to optimize the geometry to provide the largest gripping force without losing the advantage of flexible deformation. To verify the enhanced gripping capabilities of three gripping methods, the maximum mass of workpieces that could be gripped was measured. The geometry of the objects that could be gripped was also investigated. The modified gripper significantly improved the gripping weight by a factor of approximately 4–5 compared to the original finger structure, and was able to grip various workpieces, including one with an aspect ratio exceeding 10. The advantages and disadvantages of the friction pad for the different gripping methods were discussed for further improvements.