In many practical cases, such as in logistics applications, grasping and manipulation of objects must be carried out in confined spaces with obstacles. Limited room is then available to manoeuvre and robotic devices can lack dexterity or be impaired by their size when performing in such cluttered environments. In this paper, we address this issue by proposing a novel agile … [Read more...] about Synthesis, Design, and Experimental Validation of an Agile Wrist for Enhanced Grasping and Manipulation in Cluttered Environments: An Experimental Evaluation With a Challenging Pick-and-Place Task
Grippers
SofToss: Learning to Throw Objects With a Soft Robot
In this paper, we present, for the first time, a soft robot control system (SofToss) capable of throwing life-size objects toward target positions. SofToss is an open-loop controller based on deep reinforcement learning that generates, given the target position, an actuation pattern for the tossing task. To deal with the high non-linearity of the dynamics of soft robots, we … [Read more...] about SofToss: Learning to Throw Objects With a Soft Robot
Variable Stiffness, Sensing, and Healing in FESTO’s FinRay Gripper: An Industry-Driven Design
Soft grippers' rising popularity in industries is due to their impressive adaptability. Yet, this adaptability requires flexibility which often sacrifices grip firmness and complicates sensor integration. This paper introduces two additional innovations, variable stiffness and pneumatic sensing, into a FinRay adaptive gripper. The approach and design for incorporating these … [Read more...] about Variable Stiffness, Sensing, and Healing in FESTO’s FinRay Gripper: An Industry-Driven Design
Fully Autonomous Brick Pick and Place in Fields by Articulated Aerial Robot: Results in Various Outdoor Environments
Picking and placing of objects by aerial robots in fields is an important and challenging task for a range of outdoor activities, including industry and rescue operations. General strategies depend on the magnetic force to the pick object; however, this approach lacks both generality and robustness. Therefore, we focus on an articulated structure to grasp bricking. Another … [Read more...] about Fully Autonomous Brick Pick and Place in Fields by Articulated Aerial Robot: Results in Various Outdoor Environments
Geranos: A Novel Tilted-Rotors Aerial Robot for the Transportation of Poles
In challenging terrains, constructing structures, such as antennas and cable car masts, often requires the use of helicopters to transport loads via ropes. The swinging of the loads, exacerbated by wind, impairs positioning accuracy, therefore necessitating precise manual placement by ground crews. This increases costs and the risk of injuries. Challenging this paradigm, we … [Read more...] about Geranos: A Novel Tilted-Rotors Aerial Robot for the Transportation of Poles
