“Perhaps more than any other element of robotic development in warehousing and distribution, the end-of-arm tooling, or gripper, is the place that can make or break a robot's success.”
(Modern Materials Handling, March 2015)
“About 80% of industrial applications aren’t implemented because the robot doesn’t have the basic capabilities needed.”
(ABB engineer)
Kitting, bin picking, packing/unpacking, loading/unloading, material handling, machine tending, logistics, fruit/vegetable harvesting, seed planting – the opportunities are wide.
Integrate algorithms, arm, hand, and tactile sensors.
Grasp is confirmed. Compliance and control avoids damaging manipulated objects.
Tactile perception and force feedback are not optional – just try doing any engineering work wearing an oven mitt.