Hazel Tao
Research Mentor: William Hobson-Rhoades
Mentor Department: Mechanical Engineering, Engineering
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 6 (3:00 PM – 3:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 66
Abstract
Robotic grippers have become a more common notion in today’s modern world but there is not much information about their interactions with granular materials such as grains, pellets, or even household staples such as berries. A unique aspect of granular materials is their ability to transition between fluid-like and solid-like states through jamming, a process in which particles collectively resist deformation under applied stress. In this project, we investigate how different robotic gripper designs influence the force transmission and mechanical states within granular media as the system transitions between jammed and unjammed states. To observe the particle interactions, we designed and fabricated different variations of a two-dimensional robotic gripper in CAD and constructed them with 3D printing, with each variation changing the diameter of the hand-like gripper. To apply load to the granular system, several “grippers†will compact a collection of specially fabricated, photoelastic particles into a solid state. When placed over a light source and under a polarizing filter, fringes in the photoelastic particles will illuminate with properties based on the conditions of the applied load. An overhead camera will then take pictures through a polarized lens to measure the interactions through image analysis. This project tests different factors, such as system size, force exerted by the grippers, or the number of grippers, and records the mechanical response of the particles. By studying how robotic grippers interact with granular materials, the data can be used to design robots that need to manipulate those materials, such as a robot that helps an individual cook.
