Designing and Simulation of Mobile Robot Grippers for Demining Operations: A Case Study

This paper reports on the preliminary design and simulation of devices for demining operations. Detecting landmines hidden in the ground requires robots to deliver safe and accurate results. In this work, a gripper has been designed and simulated capable of picking up elements from the ground. After choosing a suitable type of mechanism, the kinematic synthesis is performed to obtain a mechanism replicating human grasp. The adopted solution combines four-bar and six-bar linkages. It is provided by a screw mechanism that converts rotational motion into linear motion from a stepper motor. The closing movement of the fingers is provided by the DC motor. Simulation results are shown. The work represents an effort that should be leveraged for the ongoing development of gripping devices suitable for demining operations. Using commercially available grippers for tasks requiring high precision is risky. Designing a new gripper tailored to the working conditions’ specific needs offers several advantages supporting its continued development. One such advantage is the ease with which grippers can be replaced and placed on existing mechanical structures such as robotic arms and mobile robots.