Simulation-driven parameter study of concentric Halbach cylinders for magnetorheological robotic grasping

Due to their peculiar property of controlled stiffness and strength under an external magnetic field, magnetorheological (MR) fluids show great potential in developing hybrid robotic grippers that the future could offer same versatility as human hand. This demands for sufficiently strong, compact switchable field sources which permanent magnets are often overshadowed by electromagnets. However, possess higher flux densities per mass unit, when assembled certain ways, they allow control joint field. Within this paper, extensive parameter study is conducted using grid search design concentric Halbach cylinder assemblies based on finite element simulations. The influence decisive geometric material properties performance these activation mechanisms studied. These include magnets’ shapes, sizes number; cylinders’ radii number pole pairs; relative permeabilities MR fluid grasped object. a measured multi-objective function considers: mean generated mechanism’s ON OFF-state, field’s inhomogeneity (i.e. standard deviation) ON-state, total magnet area both cylinders. work concludes deriving guidelines most optimal cylinders cylindrical radial bellow gripper.