DESIGN OF A ROBOTIC GRIPPER BASED ON A PSITTACUS ERITHACU BEAK

A high versatility, low degrees-of-freedom (DOF) gripper was designed based on avian morphology. Grasping mechanisms for robotic manipulators are often developed for application-specific tasks, such as manipulating a single part or performing a repetitive action. In contrast, more dexterous grippers are complex, multiple-DOF mechanisms. A simple, minimal-DOF, versatile gripper has been developed based on the morphology of the Psittacus Erithacu (African Grey Parrot) beak shape. This species is highly intelligent and uses its beak for digging, gripping, climbing, and foraging. Giving a robot a similar capability would allow the platform to pick up targets such as single, small seeds, liquids, large irregular rocks and soft Robocup style balls. By using the beak as a model for a grasping mechanism the design maintains its versatility without the need for a complex system and allows a large range of targets to be gripped. This gripper is intended for use in the new open-source humanoid robot DARwIn-OP.