An operation tool as a gripping device includes a first arm and a second arm that move in directions opposite to each other, and a third arm for engaging with a workpiece. The operation tool includes a gear and a gear moving cylinder for causing the gear to move to a first position, a second position, and a third position between the first position and the second position. The first arm and the second arm move when the gear is disposed at the first position. The third arm moves when the gear is disposed at the second position. The gear is separated from all of the arms when the gear is disposed at the third position.

A pneumatic claw-controlling apparatus includes a claw, an air supply, a high-pressure channel, a medium-pressure channel and a low-pressure channel. The claw is normally in an opened position and movable to a closed position by working air. The air supply releases the working gas according to an air-supply signal. The high-pressure channel is operable to adjust the working gas to a high pressure and communicate the air supply with the claw according to a high-pressure signal. The medium-pressure channel is operable to adjust the working gas to a medium pressure and communicate the air supply with the claw according to a medium-pressure signal. The low-pressure channel is operable to adjust the working gas to a low pressure and communicate the air supply with the claw according to a low-pressure signal. The releasing channel is operable to block the claw from the atmosphere according to a vent-stopping signal.

A robotic end-effector to provide both magnetic and mechanical finger grip. The end-effector has one or more magnets coupled to a palm, each of the one or more magnets having a magnet face to magnetically attach to a ferromagnetic object. The magnet face(s) define(s) a magnetic engagement surface with the magnet and the palm disposed on a proximal side of the magnetic engagement surface. A finger is pivotally coupled to the palm to grip the ferromagnetic object or an other object. The finger has a deployed configuration in which the finger is disposed distally with respect to the magnetic engagement surface and opposes the palm or the magnet face to grip the ferromagnetic object or the other object. The finger has a retracted configuration in which the finger is disposed proximally with respect to the magnetic engagement surface along with the magnet and the palm, and in which the magnetic face forms an outermost contact surface.

A pneumatic claw-controlling apparatus includes a claw, an air supply, a high-pressure channel, a medium-pressure channel and a low-pressure channel. The claw is normally in an opened position and movable to a closed position by working air. The air supply releases the working gas according to an air-supply signal. The high-pressure channel is operable to adjust the working gas to a high pressure and communicate the air supply with the claw according to a high-pressure signal. The medium-pressure channel is operable to adjust the working gas to a medium pressure and communicate the air supply with the claw according to a medium-pressure signal. The low-pressure channel is operable to adjust the working gas to a low pressure and communicate the air supply with the claw according to a low-pressure signal. The releasing channel is operable to block the claw from the atmosphere according to a vent-stopping signal.

A robotic end-effector to provide conformal object interaction. The end-effector has at least one finger with an inner portion or engaging side and one or more degrees of freedom. A jamming conformal pad is on the inner portion of the at least one finger. The jamming conformal pad has a compliant configuration in which the jamming conformal pad is compliant and configured to distribute across a surface of an object and, if contoured, infiltrate into any variations (e.g., indentations) in the surface, defining a conformal engaging surface configured to match and mate with the surface. The jamming conformal pad has a stiff configuration in which the jamming conformal pad is stiff or relatively stiff as compared to the jamming conformal pad in the compliant configuration, and which substantially maintains a shape of the conformal engaging surface.

A palm-type mechanical gripper with variable-position and rotatable fingers and a dual-drive crank-slider parallel mechanism is provided with a crank-slider mechanism on the left side, which is an active driving structure and is driven by two stepping motors to respectively generate angular displacement of cranks and to change lengths of connecting rods, and a crank-slider mechanism on the right side, which is a driven mechanism and is driven at a constant speed by a pair of gears. The mechanical gripper is provided with three plate spring fingers, wherein two fingers are respectively installed on the connecting rods on left and right sides, and under the cooperative effect of the two stepping motors, the eccentricities of the cranks, the positions and angles of the two fingers respectively on the two connecting rods and the position of the other fixed finger can be changed through manual adjustment.

A hand mechanism grips an object more favorably, regardless of the attitude and surrounding conditions of the object. When an object is to be gripped by a hand mechanism having three or more finger portions, at least one finger portion among the three or more finger portions functions as a state-altering finger portion for altering the attitude or the position of the object while contacting the object, and at least two finger portions among the finger portions other than the finger portion functioning as the state-altering finger portion function as gripping finger portions for gripping the object in a state where the attitude or the position has been altered by the state-altering finger portion.

Exemplary embodiments relate to unique structures for robotic end-of-arm-tools (EOATs). According to some embodiments, two or more fingers or actuators may be present on an EOAT, and the actuators may be configured to move (together or separately) to adjust the spacing between the actuators. Some aspects involve techniques for extending and/or retracting a vacuum cup present on the EOAT. Further embodiments, which may be used separately or in conjunction with the previously-described embodiments, apply a secondary inner grip pad to provide a secondary gripping mode for the EOAT. These embodiments may be particularly advantageous when the actuators are soft robotic actuators and the inner grip pad is a relatively more rigid structure than the actuators.

Exemplary embodiments relate to unique structures for robotic end-of-arm-tools (EOATs). In particular, exemplary embodiments provide structures allowing a displacement fluid to be discharged from a distal end of a robotic finger. The discharge may be used to displace a target object, such as an object that is adjacent to another blocking object or the side of a container. After the target object is displaced, the EOAT may be better able to maneuver into a gripping posture and may be able to secure a better grasp on the target object.

In accordance with an embodiment, a commodity take-out apparatus includes an arm and a tilting mechanism and a retaining mechanism which are provided to a distal end portion of the arm. For taking out a commodity arranged on a shelf from the shelf, the arm moves the tilting mechanism and the retaining mechanism to a take-out position of the commodity. The tilting mechanism tilts the commodity. The retaining mechanism retains the tilted commodity and takes out the commodity from the shelf.