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This paper introduces an innovative gripper design that combines an active surface with underactuated compliance to enhance the robustness of grasping thin objects, specifically using books as a case study. By employing a kinematic model and optimizing structural parameters, the gripper achieves stable contact and in-hand repositioning without requiring complex control adjustments. Experimental results demonstrate high success rates and adaptability for both flat and vertically packed configurations, significantly improving the manipulation of thin objects in robotic applications.
A novel gripper design enables reliable grasping and manipulation of thin objects, achieving high success rates without complex control adjustments.
Robotic grippers face substantial challenges in grasping and manipulating thin objects. Most existing grippers rely on highly precise approach and grasp motions, which limits robustness and reduces applicability. This paper explores thin-object grasping using books as a representative example. Here, we propose a novel solution that integrates an active surface with underactuated compliance to achieve stable grasping of thin objects without complex control. First, an underactuated gripper with an active surface is designed. The active-surface thumb performs in-hand repositioning of the target book without requiring adjustments of the robot arm or the other fingers, while the underactuated fingers establish compliant contact conditions with the environment, and the reconfigurable structure enables reliable grasping of books under different configurations. Second, we establish a kinematic model of the gripper, and determine the initial grasp postures for two representative scenarios (books lying flat on a desktop and books vertically packed in a shelf). Third, by analyzing the physical model of a book lying on a table and its interaction with the gripper and the environment, we systematically optimize the structural parameters and grasping strategy. Finally, extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed gripper and strategy. The results demonstrate strong robustness and adaptability when grasping thin objects placed flat (including books, paper, fabric, plastic film, and mouse pad), as well as a high success rate when grasping vertically packed books. Moreover, the proposed gripper can reliably complete long sequential"grasp-place"tasks.
