Design and Construction of a Robotic Gripper for Activities of Daily Living for People with Disabilities

Abstract

A new robotic gripper was designed and constructed for activities of daily living (ADL) to be used with the new wheelchair-mounted robotic arm developed at USF. Two aspects of the new gripper made it unique; one is the design of the paddles, and the other is the design of the actuation mechanism that produces parallel motion for effective gripping. The paddles of the gripper were designed to grasp a wide variety objects with different shapes and sizes that are used in every day life. The driving mechanism was designed to be simple, light, effective, safe, self content, and independent of the robotic arm attached to it.