Development of robotic end effectors for insertion task in formation of rubber hoses

Abstract

Many working processes in manufacturing factories involve the manipulation of deformable objects, and the automation of such working processes is necessary. However, because the manipulation of deformable objects by robots is generally difficult to achieve, such automation has progressed little. The insertion task involved in the formation of rubber hoses is an example of such a task. In the two stages of this study, to automate the rubber hose insertion task, two end effectors for a dual-arm robot and an integrated end effector for a single-arm robot were developed, along with their corresponding manipulation plans. The hose insertion task was successfully performed by both robots.