An overview of the University of Louisiana robotic gripper system project

Abstract

This paper summarizes a concluded 5-year funded research project (1994-1999) addressing the automated handling and manipulation of limp material, without distortion, deformation or damage. A series of prototype gripper systems (fixed-dimensioned and reconfigurable) were developed and integrated with Adept Series manipulators to demonstrate the gripper applicability to the textiles and apparel industry. A sensor-based control system based on the hierarchical control architecture paradigm (Valavanis and Saridis, Intelligent robotic systems: theory, design and applications, Kluwer, Amsterdam, 1992) controlled the operation of the integrated robotic gripper system. The research concluded with the conceptual and theoretical design of a reconfigurable robotic gripper system (RGS) followed by simulation-based design parameter validation, controlled by a fuzzy logic controller (for both position- and suction-based control). RGS simulation studies demonstrated the distortion-free manipulation of limp material panels of a variety of shapes and sizes.