Development of a robotic torque application gripper for automated furniture assembly

Abstract

This thesis describes the redesign of a robotic claw end-effector originally built for the MIT class 6.142. The claw was designed in order to assist an autonomous furniture assembly robotic project by spinning . The project used KUKA youbots in order to assemble IKEA Lak tables. The first generation of the claw was designed and built very quickly out of laser-cut materials and is described briefly. This final version was designed to be a high-quality machine, with an emphasis placed on the weight and form, and performance. After a brief introduction, my design philosophy that guided the process is briefly described. Next the specific details of the design are described. The design and FEA analysis of the frame in order to optimize weight and strength are discussed, as well as the design of the fluid damping device. The power train design and analysis is then briefly described with an emphasis on efficiency and evaluating the usefulness of the approach that I took. The next area of concern is a characterization of the kinematics of the grasping elastic encirclement members that grasp the object, followed by a discussion of the lessons learned.