Development of a tactile low-cost microgripper with integrated force sensor

This paper describes recent results of the development of a novel tactile force-sensing microgripper based on a flexure hinge fabricated in stainless steel by wired electro discharge machining (EDM). The gripper was equipped with a commercial semiconductor strain-gauge and a piezo stack. The microgripper is an end-effector of a microrobot developed to grasp and manipulate tiny objects. Acquiring force-information with the microgripper is of fundamental importance in order to achieve the dexterity and sensing capabilities required to perform micromanipulation or assembly tasks.