Radial-Layer Jamming Mechanism for String Configuration

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel radial layer jamming mechanism with tunable stiffness for grippers, utilizing tendon-driven friction between cylindrical layers, with prototypes and experiments demonstrating its effectiveness.

Contribution

It presents a new radial layer jamming design with string configuration and prototypes, advancing gripper technology with tunable stiffness and practical implementation.

Findings

Prototypes of three tendon-driven jamming mechanisms created.

Experiments show effective holding torque performance.

Surface and 3D shape adaptability demonstrated.

Abstract

Grippers can be attached to objects in a rigid mode, and they are therefore used in various applications, for example granular jamming gripper. This paper introduces a cutting-edge radial layer jamming mechanism with is tunable stiffness, which is critical for the development of grippers. The layer jamming mechanism generates friction between the layers of multi cylindrical walls by pulling wire. This paper describes the principles of three types of proposed tendon-driven jamming mechanism, in addition to their prototypes of string configuration and the experiments conducted on the holding torques of their joints. Due to the string configuration, the surface and three-dimensional (3D) shape. This mechanism can be implemented in various applications.