Combining a collaborative robot and a lightweight Jamming-Gripper to realize an intuitively to use and flexible co-worker

By using collaborative robotic systems, new approaches like programming by demonstration can effectively be realized. As (re)programming of robots thereby gets fast and easy, such systems can facilitate the transition of industrial robots to flexible automation solutions suitable for small companies and small batch sizes. One reason that is preventing the usage of those robots on a broader scale is the fact that for nearly every different work piece a new gripping system has to be designed or at least mechanically adapted. The presented integration of a collaborative robot with a universal Jamming-Gripper broadens the spectrum of parts that can be handled by one robotic system without any mechanical modification.