Deformation constraint of elastic fingers of a monolithic gripping mechanism for enhancing handling range and applying to agricultural robots

This paper analyzes the effect of constraining a large deformation of elastic fingers of a structurally simple gripper on the gripping force to enhance the handling range for the purpose of developing a robot gripper for agricultural applications. The elastic fingers are modeled as a series of rigid links connected with torsional springs, and the finger deformation is analyzed based on the principle of stationary potential energy. The analytical results show that an appropriate deformation constraint increases the gripping force by 3.3 times.