Grasping Force Analysis of 3-Fingered Gripper

The aim of our study is to understand the role of grip force on the object being manipulated by a robotic end effector. This was accomplished by the means of a threefold comprehensive approach. In the first stage, an expansive review of the existing literature was conducted to obtain the anthropometric measurements of human fingers. This measurement then became the foundation of our CAD model so as to encompass ergonomic considerations. The second stage of our project was the development of a model ideal for gripping our test object. Further, the model was 3D printed and assembled so as to conduct the physical experimentation. The model was made functional by means of Servo Motors and Arduino and fed commands via a laptop. The last stage of the project was to perform simulations on ANSYS pertaining to the grip force, the value for which was obtained by surveying the available literature to form specific simulations. The value of deformation in test piece was brought to the allowable limits and the ideal force values calculated. These were tested on the physically developed model. The final code will be able to provide motion to the hand in a way to grip various test pieces at the required optimal force values.