Abstract:
The complex, many degree-of-freedom end effectors at the leading edge
of technology would be unusable in the sea bottom research environment.
Simpler designs are required to provide adequate reliability for subsea use.
This work examines selection of end effector designs to achieve optimum
grasping ability with minimal mechanical complexity. A new method of
calculating grasp stability is developed, incorporating elements of previous
works in the field. Programs are developed which evaluate the ability of
different end effector configurations to grasp representative objects (a cube,
sphere and infinite cylinder). End effector designs considered had circular
palms with fingers located at the periphery, oriented so that each pointed to
the center of the palm. The program tested configurations of from 1 to 4
fingers and from 1 to 3 links per finger. Three sets of finger proportions were
considered: equal length links, half length links, and anthropomorphic
proportions. The 2 finger, 2 link per finger configuration was determined to
be the optimum design, and the half length proportions were selected as the
best set of proportions.
