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A flexible gripper with a wide-range variable stiffness structure based on shape memory alloy

Canjun Yang (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and Ningbo Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Weitao Wu (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Xin Wu (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Jifei Zhou (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Zhangpeng Tu (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Mingwei Lin (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Sheng Zhang (State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and Ningbo Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)

Industrial Robot

ISSN: 0143-991X

Article publication date: 13 May 2022

Issue publication date: 20 September 2022

518

Abstract

Purpose

Variable stiffness structure can significantly improve the interactive capabilities of grippers. Shape memory alloys have become a popular option for materials with variable stiffness structures. However, its variable stiffness range is limited by its stiffness in two phases. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the manipulation capabilities of tendon-driven flexible grippers by designing a wide-range variable stiffness structure.

Design/methodology/approach

Constitutive models of shape memory alloy and mechanical models are used to analyze the performance of the variable stiffness structure. A separated solution was used to combine the tendon-driven gripper and the variable stiffness structure. The feed-forward control algorithm is used to enhance the control stability of the variable stiffness structure.

Findings

The stiffness variable capability of the proposed variable stiffness structure is verified by experiments. The stability of the feedback control algorithm was verified by sinusoidal tracking experiments. The variable stiffness range of 8.41 times of the flexible gripper was tested experimentally. The interaction capability of the variable stiffness flexible gripper is verified by the object grasping experiments.

Originality/value

A new wide-range variable stiffness structure is proposed and validated. The new variable stiffness structure has a larger range of stiffness variation and better control stability. The new flexible structure can be applied to conventional grippers to help them gain stiffness variable capability and improve their interaction ability.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Fundings: This work was supported partly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.52071292). This work was supported partly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.52101404).

Citation

Yang, C., Wu, W., Wu, X., Zhou, J., Tu, Z., Lin, M. and Zhang, S. (2022), "A flexible gripper with a wide-range variable stiffness structure based on shape memory alloy", Industrial Robot, Vol. 49 No. 6, pp. 1190-1201. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-12-2021-0286

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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