Industrial Electrostatic-Gecko Gripper

Perception Robotics is developing an innovative product, the Electrostatic Gecko Gripper? (ESG Gripper), for the industrial automation market. This unique gripping solution overcomes the shortcomings of vacuum grippers by eliminating the need for a compressed air system and offering more rapid actuation, thus achieving significant cost savings and throughput improvements in customers? manufacturing processes. The ESG gripper couples an electrostatic Perception Robotics is developing an innovative product, the ?Electrostatic Gecko Gripper(ESG Gripper), for the industrial automation market. This unique gripping solution overcomes the shortcomings of vacuum grippers by eliminating the need for a compressed air system and offering more rapid actuation, thus achieving significant cost savings and throughput improvements in customers manufacturing processes. The ESG gripper couples an electrostatic adhesive with an adhesive element inspired by gecko feet. When the electrostatic and gecko adhesives work together, a positive feedback cycle is created that, depending on surface type, can be greater than the sum of its parts. As the gecko adhesive engages, it brings the electrostatic adhesive closer to the surface, thus increasing its adhesive force; in turn, the electrostatic adhesive helps engage more of the fibrillar stalks of the gecko adhesive. Previous experimental results have shown that the combination adhesive technology can provide up to 5.1x greater adhesion that an electrostatic or gecko-like adhesive alone. This body of work will result in two hardware and software deliverables for transfer to NASA: 1.A piezoelectrically driven rig to automate and normalize the post-treatment process for improving the gecko adhesive (Q3CY1) 2.An improved industrial electrostatic gecko gripper with sensing and control software for an industrial robot. This factory-ready unit will position us well for production of a flight-ready version in Phase III. (Q4CY2)

NASA?s interest in this technology stems from Subtopic: S4.02 Robotic Mobility, Manipulation and Sampling. This technology could benefit several NASA initiatives including in-space assembly, satellite service and salvage, space debris mitigation & elimination, gripping mechanisms for free-flyers (e.g. AstroBee) and spacecraft inspection. Of specific interest is the ISS Remote Inspection System (IRIS) being developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, 2015). This system utilizes gecko-inspired adhesive feet to anchor IRIS to the micro-gravity environment of the ISS. The development of the ESG gripper would result in a significant performance increase in the adhesion of the feet in a low-cost, low-energy package. Another candidate JPL target for this technology is the In-Space Telescope Assembly project or other in-space assembly programs, as the gripper can function as an end-of-arm-tool (EOAT) for manipulation of large, flat objects such as positioning and holding of solar panels to a backbone truss. This technology is also particularly well-suited for satellite servicing and salvage, as the combined gecko and electrostatic gripping mechanisms are able to grip smooth rigid surfaces as well as thermal blankets.

Industrial manufacturing is rife with applications in which gripping an object is challenging or impossible with conventional grippers due to the shape or fragility of the object. Current solutions often rely on complex and expensive vision systems, vacuum or custom grippers, and/or repetitive, injury-prone manual labor. The ESG Gripper provides a simple and cost-effective solution to these situations. While there is a wide range of potential applications for adhesive gripping solutions in industrial automation, we have identified solar panels and glass manufacturing as the primary target markets due to the industries? versatility, expansiveness, and expressed interest in our solution. Other potential markets include aerospace and automobile manufacturing, packaging and warehousing, hazardous materials handling, palletizing applications, and medical device manufacturing. As an example, we will validate our work at the 2016 Amazon Picking Challenge to attract the interest of Amazon for pick-and-place tasks (see http://amazonpickingchallenge.org/).