Robot gripper solves challenges in the food industry

Soft Gripper, a new robotic tool from Danish manufacturer OnRobot, is designed to pick a large variation of irregular shaped and delicate subjects. Thus, it is well suited for flexible handling of products in the food and drink industry.

According to OnRobot, automation has become easier within foods and drinks along with other “clean” applications such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Here, there is a need for handling of subjects of very different kind, from eggs and fruit to bottles and irregularly shaped containers.

The new flexible Soft Gripper utilises three different silicone-molded suction cups, placed in star and four-fingered configurations, that can pick almost any type of small object weighing under 2,2 kilos with ease and precision. In contrast to traditional vacuum grippers, the robot gripper does not require any external air supply, thereby reducing both cost and complexity.

Innovative software

Another advantage of the Soft Gripper compared to other gripping technologies, is its compatibility with other industry robotics. Here OnRobot uses a platfrom called One System Solution, which gives a complete mechanical and electronic interface between leading robot arms and any of OnRobot’s “end-of-arm”-tools.

Source: FødevareFOKUS