Handling Assistant allows safe and
precise gripping. The system moves in
three dimensions, driven by means of
compressed air chambers. The gripper
fingers adapt flexibly to objects of
different shapes and sizes, making the
system a valuable working aid, especially
when it comes to sorting and moving
sensitive objects.
Cooperation between people and
technology
With the Bionic Handling Assistant, direct
contact between people and machine –
whether unintentional or deliberate –
involves no dangers. Future uses of this
system could be, for example, as a
working aid in medical technology and
the field of rehabilitation. The
autonomous system could help disabled
and elderly people to lead independent
lives and at the same time serve as the
technological basis for future
developments in health research.
In addition to health applications, the
Bionic Handling Assistant also has new
potential uses in agriculture, private
households and educational institutes.
As an assembly support handling system,
it offers industry many possibilities for
innovative production processes.
Holistic design concept
At the heart of the Bionic Handling
Assistant are Festo products which have
already seen service in various machines
and devices. The system’s mechatronic
support structure is a bellows
manufactured through rapid prototyping,
while the actuators are pneumatic. Cable
potentiometers and a Festo position
transmitter SMAT-8M are used as sensors.
This combination enables the position of
the gripper to be determined exactly.
The “brain” of the system is a Festo multi-
axis controller, the robotic controller
CMXR-C2. This is already used to control
complex mechatronic handling systems
such as the Festo “Tripod”. To control the
pressure in the chambers in the three
section arm of the Bionic Handling
Assistant, Festo uses piezo valves of the
type already deployed to provide greater
seating comfort in vehicles. It was the
symbiosis of system solution
competence, pneumatics, handling
technology, sensors, open and closed
loop control technology and bionics which
led to the innovation of the Bionic
Handling Assistant.
¢
Award ceremony for the German Future Award 2010 (left to right):
Markus Fischer, Head of Festo Corporate Design; Dr. Peter Post, Head of Festo Research and
Programme Strategy; Federal President Christian Wulff; Andrzej Grzesiak, Fraunhofer Institute IPA.
www.festo.com/en/bha
“The German
Future Award is
a wonderful
recognition of the
work of the entire
project team.”
Markus Fischer,
Head of Corporate Design at Festo
trends in automation
Compass
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