Robotic grippers used in industriall environments, in research projects, or by individuals in unstructured environments tend to be bulky, expensive, limited in use, or dependent on external drive components. This project will exploit innovative and novel techniques to research and develop a self-contained robotic gripper that can handle various object shapes and be attached to virtually any robotic arm. The proposed modification and transformation of the robotic gripper advances the use of robotics for individuals with disabilities to become more independent and perform various activities of daily living (ADL).
The effective transformation of the proposed technology will provide a great opportunity for researchers, manufacturers and end-users to achieve a high level of robotic arm usability when performing ADL and unstructured tasks.The PI and his team are involved in many outreach activities to enhance educational and hands-on robotics applications and in under-represnted and minority groups by allowing students to manipulate objects with the gripper. The findings from this project will be disseminated broadly to attarct researchers in the area of robotics.
Robotic grippers used in industrial environments, in research projects, or by individuals in unstructured environments tend to be bulky, expensive, limited in use, or dependent on external drive components. As robots and grippers are entering the mainstream market and can be seen in homes, hospitals and other entities, the proposed technology fills a substantial need for research universities and manufactures to purchase grippers that are safe, lightweight, reliable, durable, modular, low cost, and independent of the robotic arm. The global robotics market saw growth approach twenty percent in 2012, and robot users, integrators and manufacturers expect continued growth. In particular, robotic arms have been identified by Robotics Online as a key growth segment of the robotics market in 2013. Depending on functionality and purpose, end-effectors can range in cost from three to fifty thousand dollars. The PI has designed a self-contained multi-purpose gripper to be used for activities of daily living (ADL) tasks. Based on that design and through this project, the team has investigated other gripper designs and available sensor technologies to develop a commercially feasible product, identify a customer base, and validate business hypotheses. The team has targeted three unique customer opportunities with varying needs. These include assembly line based manufacturers, research institutions and robotic arm manufacturers. The team attended a workshop that teaches hands-on steps needed for developing customer-needed products and the various ways of finding out the feasibility and commercializability of such products. Based on about ninety interviews of potential customers of our technology, the team decided that our technology can’t be profitable the way it is. Adding a camera and pressure sensors to our robotic gripper can add value to our technology which makes it more profitable as a commercial product. The team has redesigned the robotic gripper based on customer needs and added an integrated control system for easier plug-and-play operation. This control system will allow the user to add the robotic gripper to any existing platform with little or no modification. The gripper features a distance sensor, high definition camera, and pressure sensors for feedback. The gripper also comes with easy-to-use control software for instant operation, and a software library for integration with existing software. The gripper can be controlled through Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and USB, and other interfaces can be added. The team will work with the USF Office of Patents and Licensing to apply for a new patent and to develop agreements with key distributors and manufacturers for maximum marketing potential while securing the IP.
