Construction and Experimental Analysis of a Multipurpose Robotic Fin Ray Gripper for Manipulator Robots

This article presents the development of a Fin Ray-type Flexible Gripper (FG) for robotic manipulators in industrial and domestic environments, designed to preserve object integrity during handling tasks. The development and validation methodology includes: 1) mechanical modeling and material selection; 2) experimental tests to relate FG finger displacement to maximum applied force using a load cell; 3) validation of the computational model through Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations in ABAQUS using experimental data; and 4) experimental analysis of the FG handling a chicken egg, with FEM determining the stress applied to the egg. The computational results showed a maximum stress of approximately 7 MPa on the egg, with no signs of damage, demonstrating the FG’s suitability for handling delicate objects. In both the experimental and computational procedures, thus enabling safe object handling without causing damage. This work advances research on Fin Ray-type flexible end-effectors, emphasizing their utility in manipulating fragile objects without requiring complex force and pressure control algorithms.