The global site of the UK's leading magazine for automation, motion engineering and power transmission
29 March, 2024

LinkedIn
Twitter
Twitter link

Flexible-finger gripper gets the thumbs-up

22 December, 2014

Festo has developed a hand-like flexible gripping system that uses opposable “thumbs” to adapt to a variety of objects. The MultiChoiceGripper, aimed at robotic and assembly tasks, combines two developments: adaptive fingers using Festo’s Fin Ray technology; and a mechanical linkage that changes the position of the fingers from “opposing” to “surrounding”.

Between two and six finger elements can be fitted to the gripper. The fingers can grip different shaped, or sensitive, objects, without needing extra sensors or controls. They are made of a food-compliant polyurethane, allowing them to be used in washdown environments in the food industry.

Festo product manager in the UK, Steve Sands, predicts widespread applications for the gripper. “Until now,” he points out, “gripping multiple parts has required either time-wasting tool-changing, weight-increasing multiple heads, or even multiple handling arms.”

Festo's MultiChoiceGripper grasps a ball using fingers that adapt to its shape and exert less force than traditional grippers



Magazine
  • To view a digital copy of the latest issue of Drives & Controls, click here.

    To visit the digital library of past issues, click here

    To subscribe to the magazine, click here

     

Poll

"Do you think that robots create or destroy jobs?"

Newsletter
Newsletter

Events

Most Read Articles