Development of a Three-Fingered Jamming Gripper for Corresponding to the Position Error and Shape Difference

In this research, we consider a small-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) end effector aimed at absorbing position error and object shape difference. The end effector that can grasp various shapes with a SDOF simplifies the control method and thus improves versatility for existing robot systems. However, the conventional SDOF end effector cannot perform precise operation as compared with high degrees of freedom, so it becomes weak against shape difference and position error of the object to be held. Therefore, in this research, we focused on “drawing function” and “adapting function” which are effective for error absorption and developed an end effector capable of absorbing errors by integrating them into a SDOF. We evaluated the error absorption performance of the developed integrated end effector and examined the mechanism.