ROBOT WRISTS

• To orient the end-effector properly in 3-dimensional space in its working

envelope, a robot is required to have additional DOFs in the wrist.
• A wrist may have three to five additional DOFs.
• Three DOFs of the wrist are usually designated as pitch, yaw and roll.

• A pitch is usually defined as rotation

about a horizontal axis.

• Yaw is a rotational movement

about the vertical axis.

• Roll is a rotational freedom about its own axis.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/EjvdpkX9fD8

 ROBOT WRISTS

Unimate 4000 robot wrist with

pitch, yaw and roll motions

Unimate 2000 robot wrist with

bend, yaw and swivel motions
 ROBOT WRISTS

• To define wrist orientation, the robot end-effectors are broadly classified

into three different groups:
 ROBOT WRISTS
Different schemes of robot wrist orientations
 ROBOT WRISTS
Different schemes of robot wrist orientations
 Robot End-Effector
• The robot end-effector or end-of-arm tooling is a device attached to the wrist of
the robot arm that enables the general-purpose robot to grip materials, parts and
tools to perform a specific task.
• It is also called a gripper.
• There are various types of end-effectors to perform different work functions.

End-effector
 Classification of Robot End-effectors
• The various types of grippers or end-effectors can be divided to the
following categories.
 Mechanical grippers
 Hooking or lifting grippers
 Grippers for scooping or ladling powders or molten metals or plastics
 Vacuum cups
 Magnetic grippers
 Others: Adhesive or electrostatic grippers

End-effector

Mechanical gripper Vacuum gripper Magnetic gripper

 Classification of Robot End-effectors
• The grippers may be classified into:
– Part handling grippers: used to grasp and hold objects required to be
transported from one point to another or placed for some assembly
operations e.g. machine loading/unloading, picking parts from a conveyor
and moving parts
– Tools handling grippers: used to hold tools like welding gun, spray
painting gun, deburring tool, etc.
– Special grippers: specialized devices like RCC to insert a plug into a
mating hole
 Classification of Robot End-effectors

• The general end-effectors can be grouped according to the type of grasping

modality as follows:
– Mechanical fingers – they have fewer number of joints and lesser flexibility than
universal fingers. So gripping by mechanical fingers is less versatile and less dexterous
than by universal fingers. However, they economize the device cost.
– Universal fingers – they comprise multipurpose grippers of more than three fingers
and more than one joint on each finger, thus they can perform a wide variety of
grasping and manipulating assignments.
– Special tools – designed to retain objects by electromagnetic action (if objects are too
large and ferromagnetic in nature) or under the action of vacuum (if the objects are too
thin to be handled).
 Classification of Robot End-effectors

• The grippers may be subgrouped according

to the number of fingers into
– Two fingers
– Three fingers
– Five fingers

Two fingers Three fingers

• The end-effectors may be further classified into Video link: Video link:
– Single gripper https://youtu.be/L8mw2uGh5P0 https://youtu.be/lJQURPQ36XM

– Multigripper – It enables effective

simultaneous execution of more than two
different jobs. Gripper 2

Gripper

Gripper 1

Video link:
https://youtu.be/00J0U2-0XZQ
Single gripper Multigripper
 Classification of Robot End-effectors
• Robot end-effectors may be classified on the basis of the mode of gripping as
– External gripper – grips the exterior surface of objects with closed fingers
– Internal gripper – grips the internal surface of objects with open fingers

Internal gripper

External gripper

• Robot end-effectors are also classified according to the number of degrees of

freedom incorporated in the gripper structures e.g. 1 DOF, 2 DOFs and so on.
 Drive systems for Grippers
• In typical robot gripper systems, there are three kinds of drive methods:
– Electric – there are 2 kinds of actuators, dc motors and stepper motors. Each motor
requires appropriate reduction gear systems to provide proper output force or torque. A
servo power amplifier is needed to provide a complete actuation system.
– Pneumatic – it is less expensive than other methods. Due to low-degree of stiffness of
the air-drive system, it can be used effectively to achieve compliant grasping necessary
to grasp objects with delicate surfaces carefully. But however, the limited stiffness
makes precise control difficult.
– Hydraulic – They are usually electrohydraulic drive systems. They consist of actuators,
control valves and power units. There are 3 kinds of actuators in the system: piston
cylinder, swing motor and hydraulic motor. To achieve positional control using electric
signals, electrohydraulic conversion drives are used.
 Designing Piston-Cylinder in the Pneumatic Gripper

• The piston which can supply the actuating force F must be chosen.

Pneumatic gripper for holding cartons

Drive system

• Suppose the factory air pressure is Pa. It is necessary to determine the required
diameter of the piston in order to provide the desired actuating force F.

where
 Mechanical Grippers

• A mechanical gripper is an end-effector that uses mechanical fingers actuated by a

mechanism to grip an object.
• The fingers are appendages of the gripper that actually make contact with the object.
• The fingers are either attached to the mechanism or are an integral part of the
mechanism.

Workpiece

Finger

Gripper
 Mechanical Grippers

• The use of replaceable fingers allows for wear and interchangeability.

• Different sets of fingers for use with the same gripper mechanism can be designed to
accommodate different part models.

Gripper

Workpiece

Interchangeable
fingers

Mechanical gripper with interchangeable fingers

 Mechanical Grippers

• Several types of gripper functions can be realized using various mechanisms as

follows:
― Linkage
― Gear-and-rack
― Cam
― Screw
― Cable and pulley, and so on.
• The selection of these mechanisms is influenced by the kind of actuators to be
employed and the kind of grasping modality to be used.

• The grippers can actuate the opening and closing of the fingers by one of the
following types of motions:
– Pivoting or swinging movement
– Linear or translational movement
 Mechanical Grippers with Two Fingers -
Pivoting or Swinging Gripper Mechanisms

• It can be designed for limited shapes of an object, especially cylindrical

workpieces.
• If actuators that produce linear movement are used, like pneumatic piston-
cylinder, the device contains a pair of slider-crank mechanisms.

Swinging Gripper using slider-crank mechanism

• The swinging gripper shown above uses a slider-crank mechanism. As the piston 1
is pushed by pneumatic pressure to the right, the elements in the cranks 2 and 3
rotate counter-clockwise with the fulcrum F1 and clockwise with the fulcrum F2,
respectively when θ < 180o. These rotations make the grasping action at the
extended ends of the crank elements 2 and 3. The releasing action can be
obtained by moving the piston to the left.
 Pivoting or Swinging Gripper mechanisms
The swinging gripper shown on the
left hand side uses a swing block
mechanism. The sliding rod 1,
actuated by the pneumatic piston
transmits motion by way of the two
symmetrically arranged swing-block
linkages 1-2-3-4 and 1-2-3’-4’ to
grasp or release the object by
means of the subsequent swinging
motions of links 4 and 4’ at their
Swinging Gripper using swing-block mechanism
pivots F1 and F2.
The swinging gripper shown on the right
hand side uses a rotary actuator placed at
the cross point of the two fingers. Each
finger is connected to the rotor and the
housing of the actuator respectively. The
actuator movement directly produces
grasping and releasing actions.
Swinging Gripper with a
rotary actuator
 Pivoting or Swinging Gripper mechanisms

A cam actuated swinging gripper

• The swinging gripper shown above is a cam actuated one. A cam and follower
arrangement with a spring-loaded follower provides the opening and closing action
of the gripper. Its advantage is that the spring action would accommodate different
sized objects.

A screw type swinging gripper

• The swinging gripper shown uses a screw-type actuation mechanism. The screw is
turned by a motor usually accompanied by a speed reduction mechanism. Due to
rotation of the screw, the threaded block moves, causing opening and closing of the
fingers depending on the direction of rotation of the screw.
 Translational Gripper mechanisms

A translational gripper using cylinder piston

• The translational gripper shown above uses the direct motion of the piston
cylinder. The finger motion corresponds to the piston movement. Its drawback is
that sometimes it is difficult to design the desired size of the gripper, because here
the actuator size decides the gripper size.
 Translational Gripper mechanisms

The translational gripper shown

uses a hydraulic or pneumatic
piston-cylinder, which includes a
dual-rack gear mechanism and
two pairs of symmetrically
arranged parallel closing linkages. A translational gripper using parallel bar linkages
The pinion and sector gears are connected to the elements L1 and L2 respectively.
When the piston rod moves towards left, the translation of the rack causes the two
pinions to rotate clockwise and anticlockwise respectively and produces the
grasping action, keeping each finger direction constant. The release action occurs
when the piston rod moves to the right in the same way.

A translational gripper using rotary actuators

 Mechanical Grippers with Three Fingers
• The increase in number of fingers and degrees of freedom will greatly influence
the versatility of grippers.
• The main reason for using three-finger gripper is its capability of grasping the
object in three spots, thus enabling both a tighter grip and the holding of
spherical objects of different sizes keeping the centre of the object at a specified
position. GUIDE BAR

SCREW

In the three finger gripper shown, each finger motion is performed using ball-
screw mechanism. Electric motor output is transmitted to the screws attached to
each finger through bevel gear trains which rotate the screws. When each screw
is rotated clockwise or anticlockwise, the translational motion of each finger will
be produced, which results in the grasping-releasing action.
 Magnetic Grippers

• Magnetic gripper is an end-effector that can retain an object by electromagnetic

action. They are used extensively on ferrous materials. Video link: https://youtu.be/eWcVsZnqXyI

• Advantages
– Variations in part size can be tolerated
– Pickup times are very fast
– Ability to handle metal parts with holes
– Only one surface is required for gripping
• Limitations
– Residual magnetism remaining in the workpiece may cause problems
– Problem of picking up one sheet at a time from a stack as the magnetic attraction tends
to penetrate beyond the top sheet in the stack, resulting in the possibility that more than
one sheet will be lifted by the magnet
• Magnetic grippers can use either electromagnets or permanent magnets.
 Magnetic Grippers
Electromagnetic grippers
• They are easier to control but require a source of dc power and an appropriate
controller.
• When the part is to be released, the control unit reverses the polarity at a reduced
power level before switching off the electromagnet. This procedure acts to cancel the
residual magnetism in the workpiece ensuring a positive release of the part.
• The attractive force P of an electromagnet is found from Maxwell’s equation given by
(IN)2
P= where, IN = Number of amp-turns of coil
25 Ac (Ra + Rm) Ac = Area of contact of an object with magnet
Ra , Rm = Reluctances of magnetic paths through air
and metal respectively
P ≥ (a + g) m X FS where, a = gripper acceleration
g = gravitational constant
m = mass and FS = Factor of safety

ELETROMAGNET
 Magnetic Grippers
Permanent magnetic grippers
• Permanent magnets do not require an external power and hence they can used in
hazardous and explosive environments, because there is no danger of sparks which
might cause ignition in such environments.
• When the part is to be released at the end of the handling cycle, in case of permanent
magnet grippers, some means of separating the part from the magnet must be
provided.
 Vacuum Grippers

• The vacuum gripper is an end-effector that can retain an object under the action of
vacuum. Video link : https://youtu.be/j5dKU8GdmZk

• They are used for picking up fragile materials, metal plates, panes of glass or large
light weight boxes.
• Since the vacuum cups are made of elastic materials, they are compliant.
The gripper is tolerant of errors in the orientation of the part and is especially suited
for pick-and-place work.
• For handling softer materials, cups made of harder materials are used.
• A typical vacuum cup gripper is shown.
• A compressed air supply and a venturi
are used to create a gentle vacuum
that lifts the part. Instead of venturi, a
vacuum pump powered by an electrical
motor may be also used. VACUUM

Venturi device for flat surface gripping

 Vacuum Grippers

• The lift capacity of the cup depends on

the effective area of the cup and the
negative air pressure between the cup
and the object.
• The relationship can be shown by the
following equation.
F = K P Ac = K Ac (Pa – Pres)
where, F= force or lift capacity, N Vacuum gripper for contoured surfaces
P = negative air pressure, N/cm2 (i.e. the pressure differential between the inside
and outside of the vacuum cup
Ac = total effective area of the suction cup(s) used to create the vacuum, cm2
K = a coefficient depending on the atmospheric pressure and conditions of the seal
Pa = the atmospheric pressure
Pres = residual pressure in the vacuum cup
 Adhesive Grippers

• Adhesive grippers use an adhesive substance for grasping action.

• The requirement on the items to be handled are that they must be gripped on one
side only.
• The reliability of this gripping device is diminished with each successive operation
cycle as the adhesive substance loses its tackiness on repeated use.
To overcome this limitation, the adhesive material can be loaded in the form of a
continuous ribbon into a feeding mechanism attached to the robot wrist.

Hooks and Scoops as End-Effectors

• Hooks can be used as end-effectors to handle containers and to load and unload
parts hanging from overhead conveyors. The item to be handled by a hook must
have some sort of handle to enable the hook to hold it.
• Ladles and scoops can be used to handle certain materials in liquid or powder
form. One of the limitations is that the amount of material being scooped by the
robot is sometimes difficult to control.
 Miscellaneous Devices as End-Effectors
• These include inflatable devices, in which an inflatable bladder made of an elastic
material like rubber is expanded to grasp the object. They are appropriate for
gripping fragile objects.
• In contrast to mechanical grippers where a concentrated force is applied on the
object, the gripper applies a uniform grasping pressure against the surface of the
object.

Bladder fully expanded Bladder inside the container

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