Design and evaluation of a gripper for bunches of bananas in a supermarket environment

In this paper the first gripper that can grasp bunches of bananas is presented. Bunches of bananas are difficult to grasp by a mechanical gripper, as they vary in size and shape and are sensitive to damage caused by mechanical impact. In former research, single bananas have been grasped with pinching- or granular grippers. The gripper proposed...

Design validation of the MATE tendon-based passive device for post-stroke rehabilitation

Rehabilitation robots have been shown to be effective in post-stroke gait rehabilitation. However, these devices are usually expensive and suffer from high inertia which decreases transparency. The Minimally Actuated Tendon-based exercise Environment (MATE) is a tendon-based rehabilitation device, designed to be cost-effective and minimize...

Design of Cellular Structures for Robotic Assembly

We explain the design and analysis of a novel voxel design with the goal of reducing assembly time and complexity of the robot-material system. Recent advances in robot-material systems, on the other hand, have focused on mechanical properties, design, and production methods. Making it possible to create cellular structures in harsh and remote...

Novel Twisting-Tube Gripper: Design and Evaluation for Blackberries

Fruit and vegetable production is increasing worldwide, and farmers currently face a tough challenge in finding enough agricultural workers. Automation of the labour-intensive task of crop harvesting could help fill in this gap between supply and demand. However, picking soft fruits is challenging, as they can be easily damaged if not carefully...

Soft Robotic Grippers for Crop Handling or Harvesting: A Review

Nowadays, harvesting delicate and high-value fruits, vegetables and edible fungi requires a large input of manual human labor. The relatively low wages and many health problems the workforce faces make this profession increasingly unpopular. Meanwhile, robotic systems that selectively harvest crops are being developed. Whilst the moving platform...

Development of innovative automated solutions for the assembly of multifunctional thermoplastic composite fuselage

In this study, the development of innovative tooling and end-effector systems for the assembly of a multifunctional thermoplastic fuselage is presented. The increasing demand for cleaner and new aircraft requires utilising novel materials and technologies. Advanced thermoplastic composites provide an excellent material option thanks to their...

Editorial: On the Planning, Control, and Perception of Soft Robotic End-Effectors

From the ground up:: Robotic Additive Manufacturing (RAM) of a structurally optimized earthen shell through computational design

When designing for structural performance, the geometry of the load-bearing elements is crucial for achieving the required stability. This is even more important in structural forms, such as shells and arches that are predominantly designed by their structural requirements. However, the typical design process starts with the design by the...

Compliant shape adaptive chicory gripping: for robotic sorting processes

This thesis contains the design process of a compliant shape adaptive chicory gripper for robotic sorting processes. The robotic sorting line consists of an input and output conveyor-belt. The input line contains unsorted chicories which are scanned by a robotic vision system. Overhead FlexPicker robots, equipped with chicory grippers, sort the...

Evaluation of an improved suspension system concept for surgical luminaires

Surgeons have indicated ergonomic problems with the surgical luminaire, which have been observed to occur during repositioning. The possibility of singularity, within the movement space of the translational subsystem of the current double-arm suspension systems, is confirmed to be the cause of these problems. In this study, a redesign of the...

VR Mediated Teleoperation: Total workspace utilization using null-space projection control

Joint limits and singularities limit the total and intuitive utilization of the robotic workspace in VR mediated teleoperation. This paper presents the development and validation of a novel null-space projection control method, used to adjust joint configurations of teleoperated robot arms containing joint limits and singularities. The novel...

Dynamics motion simulation of the Hermes robot arm subjected to constraints

During operations with a manipulator arm situations will occur when the manipulator end-effector is, or comes, in contact with its environment. The dynamics equations, which describe the motion of the manipulator, can be represented by an ordinary differential equation for the free motion and an additional algebraic (in)equality for the motion...

Modelling dynamical systems with equality state-space constraints

A mathematical theory for modelling dynamical systems with equality state-space constraints is presented. The dynamic behaviour of these systems is represented by a combination of differential and algebraic equations. It Is shown that the freedom offered by control is essential to obtain other, mathematically equivalent formulations. The notion...