2 Flexible application: different grip types … … combined with adaptive fingers with a Fin Ray® structure One gripper for the widest variety of shapes There are already countless different grippers in the automation technology sector today, and each of them has been developed for a special task. If, for example, the shape of a product changes, the corresponding gripper must be replaced on the machine or converted, which requires a great deal of effort. A gripper that is adjusted to different tasks would therefore be ideal. Nature as a model Nature often provides fresh impetus and new approaches to solutions for industrial applications. That is why Festo brought the Bionic Learning Network to life. In an alliance with reputable universities, institutes and development companies, Festo has already studied a range of different grip principles on several occasions using biology as a model. The MultiChoiceGripper was the product of close collaboration with the University of Linz as part of a diploma thesis. The pneumatic gripper is inspired by the human hand and is modelled on the thumb, thanks to which humans are also able to grip a wide variety of shapes quickly and easily. Parallel and centric gripping in one Just like its natural model, the MultiChoiceGripper unites a unique combination of different grip types. Its fingers can therefore be switched over so that they can either grip in a parallel or centric manner – without requiring any conversion. Adaptive fingers for form-locking gripping Due to the adaptive fingers with a Fin Ray® structure, the MultiChoiceGripper is not only variable in terms of the direction of grip, as the fingers themselves can adapt to a wide variety of shapes. The MultiChoiceGripper can therefore handle differently shaped, not to mention very sensitive, objects without additional sensor or control technology. The adaptive fingers were designed in 2009 for the bionic FinGripper and have been continually developed ever since. Besides the Fin Ray® fingers, two other types of fingers can be attached to the MultiChoiceGripper. Depending on requirements, between two and six finger elements can be fitted to the modular gripper.
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