Telescopic Robot Gripper Arms for Bulky Object Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots used in risky operations, such as handling and disrupting explosives, are unable to effectively handle bulky objects due to the limitations of their existing pliers, which are designed for small or cylindrical objects only.
Innovation Solution
A system featuring a pair of telescopic arms with a slanted first section that can be interchangeably attached to the pliers' jaws, allowing for adjustable length and orientation to accommodate objects of various sizes, utilizing a first section fixed to the pliers' jaw and a second L-shaped section with an object-gripping body joined via a hinge joint, enabling gripping of bulky objects by adjusting the arm length and orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional pliers are used on the robot's articulated arm, then the robot can handle small objects with gripping means, but it cannot handle bulky objects effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is divided into multiple telescopic sections that can extend and retract independently, allowing the system to adapt its length and configuration to match different object sizes without requiring multiple complete systems
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic sections provide dynamic adjustability in arm length and configuration, enabling the robot to transition between handling small and bulky objects by extending or retracting the appropriate number of sections
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pliers are designed for small objects only, then the structure remains simple, but the robot cannot manage objects of various sizes including cylindrical shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic arm system serves multiple functions: it can handle small objects by retracting to a compact configuration and bulky objects by extending to longer configurations, making a single system universal for different object types
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds the dimension of adjustable length through telescopic sections, transforming a fixed-configuration pliers into a variable-configuration system that can adapt to different object dimensions
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot uses fixed-length arms, then the mechanism is simple, but it cannot adjust to accommodate objects of different dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic sections are nested within each other, with smaller sections contained inside larger ones, allowing compact storage when retracted and extended configuration when needed, managing complexity through nested organization
Data Source
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AI summary
A system suitable for being mounted on a robot for handling bulky objects, the robot being of the type used in risky operations, featuring an articulated arm (4) ending in pliers (3), with a 360 degree rotation, to handle objects, such that the system is based on each of the jaws forming the pliers (3) having an arm attached, which is constituted by: a first section (5) and a second section (6) telescopic with each other, such that the first section (5), at its free end, is attached to the related pliers' jaw and an object-gripping body (8) is joined to the second section (6), at its free end, by means of a hinge joint (7).