Bionic­Tripod

Year

2009

The idea

The nose sections of the AquaPenguin and AirPenguin were further developed into flexible grippers.

The objective

The BionicTripod with FinGripper enables efficient motion and form-fit gripping.

Technical data

• Horizontal deflection: max. 110 cm
• Z-axis deflection: max. 27 cm
• Material: fibreglass rods
• Drives: linear axes, electric drives
• Control: CMXR robot control
• FinGripper weight: 80 g
• FinGripper material: polyamide
• FinGripper actuator force: 40 N
• FinGripper operating pressure: 3 bar

Further development

Thanks to AquaPenguin and AirPenguin, the Fin Ray effect was further developed for the BionicTripod with FinGripper: three fibreglass rods are linked together to form a pyramid and are connected with lateral struts. By drawing the rods in and out, the device can be deflected by up to 90 degrees in any direction. The BionicTripod can perform rapid, high-precision movements and carry out automation tasks by means of intelligent control and regulation technology.

FinGripper

The adaptive gripper is produced in a selective laser-sintering process in which extremely thin layers of polyamide powder are successively applied and harden to form a solid component.