Lightweight, Low-Cost, Compliant Grasper for UAV-Based Pick-and-Place Operations

Abstract

Grasping and manipulating objects remains an area of interest in robotics for a variety of applications. An emerging area is the use of graspers in conjunction with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), e.g., for construction, agriculture, and military operations. This paper presents the design of a compliant grasper, which has a simple, low-cost mechanism to grasp different-sized delicate objects. The grasper was refined through an FEA model to optimize the key compliance features. It was tested on nine different objects of varying dimensions and weights. The grasper grasped and lifted objects up to 10 times its own weight; however, it is most reliable with lighter objects. A preliminary experiment with integration on a UAV demonstrated the grasper’s intended functionality.