Detachable, Low-Cost Tool Holder for Grippers in Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract

To hand over more than just pick & place tasks to an industrial collaborative robotic arm with a two-jaw gripper, the gripper must first be removed, and a new tool mounted. This tool change requires either human assistance or an expensive tool changer. The tools applied to the end-effector are often highly expensive and software system interfaces between different tools and robots are seldom available. Therefore, a holder was developed that allows the robot to pick up and operate a tool, such as an electric screwdriver, without having to demount the two-jaw gripper. Instead, the gripper’s functionality is used to activate and deactivate the tool fixed to the holder. This paper presents the state-of-the-art of the underlying problem as well as the development process including simulations, the patented design, and the low-cost production of the tool holder. This detachable, low-cost tool holder enables a flexibilization of human-robot processes in manufacturing.