Mathematical Modelling and Experimental Validation of an Articulated Vacuum Gripper

This paper presents the underactuated vacuum gripper named Polypus. What is unique in Polypus is that it combines under-actuation and vacuum grasping to apply both power and unilateral grasp to objects of various shape and geometry. In addition, the gripper features modularity, i.e., single phalanges can be added or removed based on the application. The high flexibility also comes with a cost-effective (less than 100€ and simple design that can be manufactured with a consumer-grade 3D printer using FDM technology. While the analytical model has been introduced by the authors in previous research, here its experimental validation is described using a physical prototype that shows that the theoretical assumptions are reasonable. Experimental results also suggest a small variation in the original theoretical model.