Soft Robotic Grippers With Feedback for Adaptive Pick-and-Place
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic grippers are expensive, inflexible, and unable to handle objects of varying sizes and shapes effectively, especially in uncertain environments, due to their rigid construction and inability to adapt to different weights and sizes.
Innovation Solution
The development of soft robotic actuators made from elastomeric materials, such as rubber or thin plastic, which can be molded into desired shapes and actuated by inflation or vacuum to conform to objects, providing adaptability and gentle grasping capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional hard robotic actuators are used, then structural strength and precision are improved, but adaptability to varying object sizes and shapes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs soft robotic actuators constructed from flexible elastomeric materials instead of rigid components. These soft actuators can deform and conform to objects of varying sizes and shapes, providing the adaptability that hard actuators lack, while maintaining sufficient structural integrity through material selection and design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic or hydraulic pressure to dynamically change the physical state and shape of soft actuators. By adjusting pressure parameters, the actuators can modify their volume, shape, and stiffness to adapt to different grasping requirements, resolving the contradiction between fixed structure and variable adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If soft robotic actuators are used, then adaptability and safety are improved, but manufacturing precision and control accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates sensors and control systems that provide feedback on the state of soft actuators and the objects being manipulated. This feedback mechanism enables real-time adjustment of actuation parameters, compensating for the inherent imprecision of soft materials and maintaining adequate control accuracy despite the flexibility of the actuators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional rigid mechanical transmission systems with pneumatic or hydraulic actuation of soft materials. This substitution allows for smoother, more compliant motion control while maintaining precision through pressure regulation and control algorithms, trading mechanical rigidity for controllable flexibility.
3Ease of manufacture
If soft robotic actuators are used, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but force generation and power output deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pneumatic or hydraulic systems to generate force within soft actuators. By using compressed gas or liquid pressure, the system achieves adequate force generation for manipulation tasks while avoiding the need for expensive, complex rigid mechanical actuation systems, thus maintaining cost-effectiveness while providing sufficient power.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Soft robotic actuators offer cost-effectiveness, adaptability, and safety in handling objects of various sizes and shapes, reducing the risk of damage and improving motion versatility compared to traditional hard robotic actuators.
Implementation Method 1
soft robotic actuators made from elastomeric materials, such as rubber or thin plastic, which can be molded into desired shapes and actuated by inflation or vacuum to conform to objects
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments relate to user-assisted robotic control systems, user interfaces for remote control of robotic systems, vision systems in robotic control systems, and modular grippers for use by robotic systems. The systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable media instructions described interact with and control robotic systems, in particular pick and place systems using soft robotic actuators to grasp, move and release target objects.