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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tscholl, Dario, Gravert, Stephan-Daniel, Appius, Aurel X., Katzschmann, Robert K.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.13011
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author Tscholl, Dario
Gravert, Stephan-Daniel
Appius, Aurel X.
Katzschmann, Robert K.
author_facet Tscholl, Dario
Gravert, Stephan-Daniel
Appius, Aurel X.
Katzschmann, Robert K.
contents Rapid and versatile object manipulation in air is an open challenge. An energy-efficient and adaptive soft gripper combined with an agile aerial vehicle could revolutionize aerial robotic manipulation in areas such as warehousing. This paper presents a bio-inspired gripper powered by hydraulically amplified electrostatic actuators mounted to a quadcopter that can interact safely and naturally with its environment. Our gripping concept is motivated by an eagle's foot. Our custom multi-actuator concept is inspired by a scorpion tail design (consisting of a base electrode with pouches stacked adjacently) and spider-inspired joints (classic pouch motors with a flexible hinge layer). A hybrid of these two designs realizes a higher force output under moderate deflections of up to 25° compared to single-hinge concepts. In addition, sandwiching the hinge layer improves the robustness of the gripper. For the first time, we show that soft manipulation in air is possible using electrostatic actuation. This study demonstrates the potential of untethered hydraulically amplified actuators in aerial robotic manipulation. Our proof of concept opens up the use of hydraulic electrostatic actuators in mobile aerial systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2205_13011
institution arXiv
publishDate 2022
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Flying Hydraulically Amplified Electrostatic Gripper System for Aerial Object Manipulation
Tscholl, Dario
Gravert, Stephan-Daniel
Appius, Aurel X.
Katzschmann, Robert K.
Robotics
Rapid and versatile object manipulation in air is an open challenge. An energy-efficient and adaptive soft gripper combined with an agile aerial vehicle could revolutionize aerial robotic manipulation in areas such as warehousing. This paper presents a bio-inspired gripper powered by hydraulically amplified electrostatic actuators mounted to a quadcopter that can interact safely and naturally with its environment. Our gripping concept is motivated by an eagle's foot. Our custom multi-actuator concept is inspired by a scorpion tail design (consisting of a base electrode with pouches stacked adjacently) and spider-inspired joints (classic pouch motors with a flexible hinge layer). A hybrid of these two designs realizes a higher force output under moderate deflections of up to 25° compared to single-hinge concepts. In addition, sandwiching the hinge layer improves the robustness of the gripper. For the first time, we show that soft manipulation in air is possible using electrostatic actuation. This study demonstrates the potential of untethered hydraulically amplified actuators in aerial robotic manipulation. Our proof of concept opens up the use of hydraulic electrostatic actuators in mobile aerial systems.
title Flying Hydraulically Amplified Electrostatic Gripper System for Aerial Object Manipulation
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.13011