Mechanisms for concentric gripping

Certain drawbacks of the state-of-the-art grippers for industrial robots are indicated, along with remedial design alternatives. A number of original gripper designs are introduced. These are then evaluated in terms of a set of criteria that was established earlier. The new gripper designs, all of which possess the concentric gripping feature, are analyzed for gripping forces when known actuating forces are imposed. Comparisons are made between the various designs in terms of the number of links, types of joints involved, and force-intensification features, and conclusions are drawn.