The fingers of the pneumatic robot hand consist of flexible bellows structures with air chambers, covered by a firm and at the same time pliable textile knit. This makes the hand light, flexible, adaptable and sensitive, yet capable of exerting strong forces. As with the BionicSoftHand from 2019, the pneumatic fingers are also controlled via a compact valve terminal with piezo valves, which is mounted directly on the hand.
The hand wears a glove with tactile force sensors on the fingertips, the palm and the outside of the robot hand. This allows them to feel how hard the object to be gripped is and how well it fits in the hand, and adapt their gripping force to the object in question – just like we humans do. In addition, a depth camera is located on the inside of the wrist for visual object detection.
With the help of the camera images, the robot hand can recognize and grip various objects, even if they are partially covered. After appropriate training, the hand can also assess the objects on the basis of the recorded data and thus distinguish good from bad, for example. The information is processed by the neural network, which was trained in advance using data augmentation.
In order to achieve the best possible results, the neural network needs a lot of information with which it can orient itself. This means the more training images are available to it, the more reliable it becomes. Since this is usually time-consuming, automatic augmentation of the database is a good idea.
This procedure is called data augmentation. By marginally modifying a few source images – for example, with different backgrounds, lighting conditions or viewing angles – and duplicating them, the system obtains a comprehensive data set with which it can work independently.
The system has its entire power supply on board: the battery for the arm and robot sits inside the body. The compressed air cartridge for the pneumatic hand is installed in the upper arm. This means that the robot is not only mobile, it can also move autonomously.
The algorithms stored on the master computer also control the autonomous movements of the system. With a view to the future, they plan how the arm and the ball must move in order to reach certain target points while maintaining balance. With the help of two cameras, the robot orients itself independently in space: one camera searches for predefined fixed points in the environment to position itself autonomously, while a second camera uses the ceiling structure to estimate movement.
Its mobility and autonomous energy supply enable the BionicMobileAssistant to be used flexibly for different tasks at changing locations – in line with the constantly changing production environment.
The system would be predestined for use as a direct assistant to humans, for example as a service robot, as a helping hand in assembly or to support workers in ergonomically stressful or monotonous work. It could also be used in environments where people cannot work, for example due to hazards or limited accessibility.
Thanks to its modular concept, the BionicSoftHand 2.0 can also be quickly mounted and commissioned on other robot arms. Combined with the BionicCobot or the BionicSoftArm, the gripper forms, for example, a completely pneumatic robot system that can work hand in hand with humans due to its inherent flexibility.