CPM-9 Investigating the Unjamming Transition for the Development of a Soft-Robotic Gripper
Abstract
As innovations are made in the field of prosthetics, the quality/cost ratio continually increases. While there are open-sourced prosthetics, most lack the ability to grip uniquely-shaped objects or require arduous coding efforts to do so. Therefore, there is a need for affordable prostheses with universal grippers that can perform everyday tasks. Various styles of grippers exist, including both hard-robotic and soft-robotic designs. Generally, hard robots have a solid form that is rigid and fixed. The most common hard-robotic grippers utilize complex jointed fingers, which resemble a hand, or enveloping grippers which can be imagined as devices that “bite down” on an object. However, our efforts have been focused on a soft-robotic design, particularly a “malleable gripper.” This design autonomously conforms to objects of all geometries, and is then able to grasp the object through the use of a granular material. Granular materials exhibit properties of solids, liquids, and gasses; and they can transition between phases. Sand, for example, can act like a solid or a liquid within the appropriate conditions. We can exploit this by having our confined granular material conform to the shape of an object while in the liquid state. We then induce jamming to make the granular material solid and grasp the object. This has been previously accomplished with pneumatic grippers which jam the granular materials within a membrane by removing the air. Though useful, pneumatic designs can be cumbersome and sluggish which has led us to explore the advantages of magnetically induced jamming. We can take advantage of granular materials, such as iron filings, that can be manipulated using a magnetic field. Solenoids can be used to produce magnetic fields which then pull the filings together causing them to jam–gripping the object within the granular material. This project design furthers the affordability of prosthetics through the creation of a low cost, open-sourced universal gripper.
Keywords
Granular Materials, Jamming, Soft Robotics
CPM-9 Investigating the Unjamming Transition for the Development of a Soft-Robotic Gripper
University Readiness Center Greatroom
As innovations are made in the field of prosthetics, the quality/cost ratio continually increases. While there are open-sourced prosthetics, most lack the ability to grip uniquely-shaped objects or require arduous coding efforts to do so. Therefore, there is a need for affordable prostheses with universal grippers that can perform everyday tasks. Various styles of grippers exist, including both hard-robotic and soft-robotic designs. Generally, hard robots have a solid form that is rigid and fixed. The most common hard-robotic grippers utilize complex jointed fingers, which resemble a hand, or enveloping grippers which can be imagined as devices that “bite down” on an object. However, our efforts have been focused on a soft-robotic design, particularly a “malleable gripper.” This design autonomously conforms to objects of all geometries, and is then able to grasp the object through the use of a granular material. Granular materials exhibit properties of solids, liquids, and gasses; and they can transition between phases. Sand, for example, can act like a solid or a liquid within the appropriate conditions. We can exploit this by having our confined granular material conform to the shape of an object while in the liquid state. We then induce jamming to make the granular material solid and grasp the object. This has been previously accomplished with pneumatic grippers which jam the granular materials within a membrane by removing the air. Though useful, pneumatic designs can be cumbersome and sluggish which has led us to explore the advantages of magnetically induced jamming. We can take advantage of granular materials, such as iron filings, that can be manipulated using a magnetic field. Solenoids can be used to produce magnetic fields which then pull the filings together causing them to jam–gripping the object within the granular material. This project design furthers the affordability of prosthetics through the creation of a low cost, open-sourced universal gripper.