Sebastian Linß

Design and Experimental Characterization of a Flexure Hinge-Based Parallel Four-Bar Mechanism for Precision Guides

This paper presents the investigation of the influence of the flexure hinge contour in compliant linkage mechanisms for precision engineering applications. Especially the influence on the precision of the path of motion and the stroke of the compliant mechanism is reflected. Based on previous results on optimized single polynomial flexure hinges, the validity of proposed guidelines is analyzed for a combination of several flexure hinges in one compliant mechanism. A parallel crank mechanism is used as an example for a compliant rectilinear guiding mechanism with constant link orientation. The parameters of the approximated linear motion are investigated for the rigid-body model, a compliant analytic model and a FEM model. Finally these results are compared with measurement results taken at manufactured prototypes.

A Concept of Adaptive Two Finger Gripper with Embedded Actuators

Today in many industries there is a great need for grasping different shaped and soft objects. For safe grasping of such objects and specially a fragile one adaptability is required. Developing a gripper that can adapt the shape of its grasping surface to different shaped objects and achieve safe and reliable manipulations of that objects, represent a challenging task. Many micro domain applications would benefit from adaptive gripper and adaptive grasping, such as in medicine or biomedicine where there is a need for manipulations of human tissue or individual cells. This paper presents concept of a new adaptive two finger gripper with embedded actuators. By using compliant systems—compliant mechanisms with embedded actuators it is possible to develop an adaptive compliant gripper. By embedding the actuators gripper could morph or change the shape of its grasping surface and achieve different grasping patterns i.e. gripper would have structural adaptability. Synthesis methodology for the adaptive gripper that includes simultaneous topology optimization and actuators placement, is also presented. It will be shown that the developed adaptive gripper can achieve multiple shapes of its grasping surface when different contracting or extending actuators are active, whereby they realize different stroke.