Methods and apparatus for robotic zipper

A robotic zipper system for joining and separating zipper halves of a zipper tape. A chassis retains an actuator that drives a zipper slide geometry along the zipper tape to join or separate the zipper tape. A sensor can determine zipper slide position, and a control module can provide an electrical signal to the motor to move in forward or reverse. The actuator can have a motor that drives a gear system that mechanically engages zipper teeth. Teeth of the gear system can be out of phase to mesh with alternating gaps between the zipper teeth. The actuator can be removable relative to a zipper slide. Zipper slide geometry could be integrated into the chassis, such as in the form of a channel, potentially with a central post. A sensor could be positioned to detect the presence or absence of zipper teeth through an opening in a base plate.