Kinematic Analysis and Dimensional Synthesis of a Meso-Gripper

In recent years, applications in industrial assemblies within a size range from 0.5mm to 100mm are increasing due to the large demands for digital multimedia products. Research on grippers or robotic hands within the mesoscopic scale of this range has not been well explored. This paper proposes a mesoscopic scale gripper (meso-gripper) which has two modes: passive adjusting mode and an angled precision gripping mode. The gripper adjusts its shape automatically according to the appropriate mode. This form of gripping and the associated mechanism are novel in their implementation and operation. The meso-gripper which has metamorphic characteristics is generated by integrating a remote center of motion (RCM) mechanism with a cross four-bar (CFB) linkage. The dimensional synthesis of the gripper is outlined for a specified task-based gripping followed by the analysis of the synthesizing mechanism. A differential mechanism is adopted to increase the flexibility of the meso-gripper. Prototype is fabricated and tested using 3D printing technology to verify the feasibility of the design.