Flexible Object Handling using Dextrous Grippers

Robots are used to perform tedious work in more and more of today’s industrial applications. Traditionally robots are used in applications with well structured and extremely predictable environments like that of a production line. In the last few years new trends within industrial automation has arisen. One trend is to move from mass production to production of customized products [1] which demands flexibility of the production line. Another related trend is the need to handle a greater variety of products achieved by increasing the intelligence in robot cells [2]. Intelligence in industrial robots becomes essential when working with less structured environments and autonomous applications. Both trends highlight the increased need for flexible robot cells. Typically robots in them selves are flexible, but their tools are not. Industrial applications using robots for assembling use gripper tools for handling or manipulation of objects. These tools are usually custom made, sensorless and extremely application specific. The flexibility and intelligence of such grippers is therefore low. The lack of flexible gripper tools has fuelled the research of dextrous grippers since the mid 1980’s. Though a wide variety of dexterous hands exists (Utah/MIT Dextrous hand, NTU hand, DLR hand, etc.), they have not yet found their way to industrial applications. This is mainly because of control and reliability issues, but also because the need and financial interests for flexibility in industrial applications did not exist until recently. The combination of industrial interest and immature technology is the basis of this project.