7 FlexShapeGripper 6 Festo AG & Co. KG Flexible installations and adaptive components New solutions for the production of the future 04: PowerGripper 2012: inspired by the kinematics of a bird’s beak 03: NanoForceGripper 2012: gripping modelled on a gecko’s foot 07: MultiChoiceGripper 2014: variable gripping of different shapes 01: FlexShapeGripper 2015: form fit of the chameleon’s tongue 05: ExoHand 2012: power boost for human–technical cooperation 02: BionicTripod with FinGripper 2009: according to the principle of a fish fin 06: LearningGripper 2013: gripping and learning – working together As an innovation leader in its industry segment, Festo has set itself the task of helping to shape the production of the future. An important part of this is making production processes simpler and developing new production systems. Grippers in today’s automation There are already a number of different grippers in the industrial automation sector today, and each of them has been developed for a special task. If the shape of a workpiece changes, the cor- responding gripper must be replaced on the machine or converted, which requires a great deal of effort. In facilities that make various products, changeover systems are therefore frequently used, which are fitted with different grippers. Requirements of tomorrow’s factory In the production of the future, however, there will be a need for more flexible installations and components, which are inde- pendently adjusted to the respective product being made in line with the plug-and-produce method. Adaptable grippers like the FlexShapeGripper can assume a significant role in this respect. Widest range of grippers based on a biological archetype The FlexShapeGripper is added to a series of grippers, which have already emerged from the interdisciplinary research work of the Bionic Learning Network. The developers were inspired by the animal world for the first time in 2009 when it came to the adaptive gripper fingers on the BionicTripod. Like a fish fin, the structure with Fin Ray Effect® does not give way under lateral pressure, but instead bends around the pressure point. The fingers therefore close softly around the items being gripped, which enables fragile and irregularly shaped objects to be safely gripped. Festo is currently developing the gripper finger into a serial product under the name DHAS. Another gripper project from the Bionic Learning Network is the NanoForceGripper from 2012, whose gripping area imitates a gecko’s foot. It is used to grip especially sensitive objects with smooth surfaces without leaving any residue and almost energyfree. The developers implemented the complex kinematics of a bird’s beak in the PowerGripper. Potential future uses In future, the FlexShapeGripper could be used in any facility where multiple objects with a range of different shapes are handled at the same time – for example in the service robotics sector, for assembly tasks or when handling small parts. In flexible production plants, it would be possible to handle all kinds of products in one procedure, without having to change the gripper. The job of sorting fruit and vegetables or other objects with irregular shapes would also present a possible task for a universal gripper such as the FlexShapeGripper. Once it has been put into operation, the gripper is able to do various tasks. This functional integration is a good example of how systems and components themselves can be adapted in future to a variety of production scenarios. The project also shows how Festo acquires new findings from nature for its core business of automation and how important the interdisciplinary exchange of information is beyond company borders. The ExoHand is an exoskeleton that can be put on like a glove. It is used to actively move fingers, boost the power in the fingers and detect movements of the hand and transfer them in real time to robot hands. By means of force feedback, the person feels what the robot is gripping. In 2013, Festo used the LearningGripper to develop a research platform, which is able to learn and can adopt complex actions by itself. One year later, the opposable thumb of the human hand served as an inspiration for the MultiChoiceGripper: like its natural role model, the gripper is able to change its fingers over so that they grip either in a parallel or centric direction, without requiring any conversion. All grippers in a joint exhibit The developers have now managed to take the next step with the FlexShapeGripper: a gripper that can collect several objects with different shapes and put them down together. Festo presents it together with the previous grippers and thus demonstrates the variety of grippers from the Bionic Learning Network. 02 03 04 05 06 07 01
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