The Robot Report

of whipped cream. According to the researchers, the simple grippers successfully grasped items 78% of the time.

Using low-level control

The researchers also employed a lowlevel controller due to the fact that they expected the agent to use extrinsic dexterity which involves rich contacts among the gripper, the object and the bin. They choose operation spacecontrol (OSC) as the lower-level controller to execute the policy output which operates at a higher frequency than the RL policy. Given a desired pose of the end-effector, OSC first calculates the corresponding force and torque at the end-effector to minimize the pose error.

Then, the desired force and torque of the end-effector will be converted into desired joint torques according to the model of the robot. We choose relatively low gains so that the controller becomes compliant in the end-effector space. There are two benefits of a compliant OSC in such a contact-rich manipulation task with extrinsic dexterity:

“First, being compliant in end-effector space allows safe execution of the motions without smashing the gripper on the objects or the bin. Limiting the delta pose and selecting proper gains will limit the final force and torque output of the end-effector. If we use a controller that is compliant in the joint configuration space instead, we will not have direct control over the maximum force the end-effector might have on the object and the bin. Second … using OSC as the low-level controller might speed up RL training and improve sim2real transfer for contact-rich manipulation.”

Next steps

One limitation of this work, the researchers admitted, is that the policy was trained with box-shaped objects. Although it may generalize to other shapes to some extent as shown in the experiments, the policy might be improved by including other shapes during training.

In addition, the pose of the object alone may not be sufficient to generalize to novel objects. The CMU team said that using a better representation of the shape, such as a point cloud or keypoints, could improve generalization across shapes. However, these changes would also increase the training complexity.

Another limitation is that we assume a reasonably accurate robot and gripper model, in terms of geometries, kinematic and dynamic parameters. It would be interesting to explore how to extend the method to transfer across robots and grippers.

Despite the simplicity of the proposed method, the researchers stress the following two key takeaways.

“First, we provide a concrete example that a simple gripper can do much more than pick-and-place while being cheaper and easier to maintain than a dexterous hand, following previous work in extrinsic dexterity,” the team said. “We envision more future work in this direction in manipulation. Second, RL can be a good option to generate policies with emergent extrinsic dexterity, and sim2real transfer works reasonably well with our proposed system. Our work takes a step towards deploying contactrich policies with a simple gripper in the real world.” RR

Robotics

Robotics

CGI Inc.

Advanced Products for Robotics and Automation

At CGI we serve a wide array of industries including medical, robotics, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, industrial automation, motion control, and many others. Our core business is manufacturing precision motion control solutions.

CGI’s diverse customer base and wide range of applications have earned us a reputation for quality, reliability, and flexibility. One of the distinct competitive advantages we are able to provide our customers is an engineering team that is knowledgeable and easy to work with. CGI is certified to ISO9001 and ISO13485 quality management systems. In addition, we are FDA and AS9100 compliant. Our unique quality control environment is weaved into the fabric of our manufacturing facility. We work daily with customers who demand both precision and rapid turnarounds.

CS Hyde Company

FEP Film: The transparent film on the bottom of the resin tank

FEP Film has become an ideal solution for SLA and DLP printers as a surface film for the bottom of the resin tank. Coupled with clarity and release properties, FEP is an ideal barrier film that allows light transmission while extending stability and strength for resin 3D printing.

CS Hyde is a stock supplier and converter of FEP & PFA film available in a variety of thicknesses. We also o er specialty adhesive lamination to FEP film, as well as custom width slitting, sheeting, and tight tolerance die cutting. Other polymer films available include ULTEM® PEI, TPX®, Kapton®, Mylar®, and many other engineering and high-performance plastics.

CGI Inc. 3400 Arrowhead Drive Carson City, NV 89706

Toll Free: 1.800.568.4327

Ph: 1.775.882.3422

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WWW.CGIMOTION.COM

Contact www.cshyde.com

1.800.461.4161

Robotics

Robotics

Doosan Robotics

Doosan Robotics Leading the Charge in Palletizing Innovation

Known for their dexterity and safety, Doosan Robotics H-SERIES cobots are the most powerful in the marketplace, providing unrivaled and precise performance in palletizing. Featuring a maximum reach of 1700mm and 25kg payload, Doosan’s H-SERIES not only has a higher payload and longer reach than competitors, but it can also safely perform highly complex tasks using precise force and compliance control based on the 6-axis force torque sensors. With the highest collision sensitivity in the industry our cobots can also be trusted to share space with personnel, all while enhancing production output and maximizing labor. Doosan Robotics also delivers in a fraction of the time of industry competitors, with an average delivery time of four weeks.

Doosan Robotics doosanrobotics.com

Harmonic Drive

Servo Grade AMR Propulsion Drive Trains

The drive wheels on Autonomous Mobile Robot platforms benefit from the inherent characteristics of harmonic planetary technology; primarily, smoothness of travel, backdrivability, and an e ciency curve that does not degrade over time. The integral cross roller bearing construction contributes to an excellent balance of torque density, sti ness, and radial load support in a compact and reliable package. Available in dozens of standard reduction ratios, these low backlash drive trains include motor adaptation as required.

Robotics

Robotics

Improve your robotic arm with custom grippers made from long-lasting, maintenance-free polymers

3D printed robotic grippers from igus® utilize wearresistant iglide® 3D printing materials, with wear rates comparable to similar injection-molded components. iglide® 3D printing materials contain embedded lubricants, eliminating the need for routine maintenance and making them resistant to dirt and dust. 3D printing allows for complex geometries not normally possible with injection molding, ensuring you can find the exact solution required for your application. Choosing 3D printed grippers can also save up to 85% in costs and reduce manufacturing time by about 70%. Whether you need a single prototype, or plan to outfit an entire line of robots, igus® can provide a solution — no minimum order quantity required!

Lin Engineering

Here at Lin Engineering, we find solutions to your problems by focusing on three basic elements: Find, Optimize, and Integrate. There are such a vast number of products on the market that just narrowing the options can be di cult. Our engineers will help you find the motor you need. The motor may then be optimized for your application by changing the winding, magnets, bearings, and more. We work with your team throughout this process to configure the motor to your application so it can be seamlessly integrated within your product or assembly.

Contact Info: Sarah Phann sphann@igus.net

Contact info: Lin Engineering 16245 Vineyard Blvd. Morgan Hill, CA 95037 https://www.linengineering.com/ 1.408.919.0200

Motorizing an AGV

Today’s AGVs must be compact and functional robots which are able to move vertically and carry heavy loads. These AGVs cannot fail, and so the choice of their motorization is crucial. There are 5 key points to consider when motorizing an AGV.

1. Choose compact motorization where possible - Drives must fit into restricted spaces, as they are sometimes integrated into existing trucks. A small footprint is critical for applications in logistics.

2. Focus on ease of use – select a plug-and-play solution.

3. Opt for fast delivery of your motor solution maxon’s IDX motor has a diameter of only 56 mm, its performance is equivalent to that of a motor with a footprint 25% larger. The IDX motorization thus combines performance in a compact size and ideal for AGVs.

4. Base the design on modularity - Not all AGVs do the same job and therefore having the flexibility to select a solution to match needed specifications is essential.

5. Prioritize safety – select motor options with integrated sensors.

Go to Drive.tech for more details. Visit www.maxongroup.us for more maxon solutions.

Motus Labs

Motus Labs Introduces Orbital Flex Design™: Motus Lab’s patent-pending Orbital Flex Design™ (OFD) is a new gear design which focuses on delivering zero backlash and high torque density gear solutions. The solid rigid cup enables OFD to remain consistent for the life of the gear without the common performance degradation found in most gear solutions.

The Motus Labs Orbital Flex Design™ (OFD) delivers:

• Superior performance

• Lower cost of ownership for robotic and motion control solutions

• Improved ROI for customers