35
Low-Cost Automatic Tool
Fixturing Based on Dexterous Robotic Hand--Barrett Technology, Inc., 139
Main Street, Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02142-1528;
617-252-9000, www.barrett.com
Dr. William T. Townsend,
Principal Investigator, wt@barrett.com
Mr. Burt Doo, Business Official, bd@barrett.com
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER83610
Amount:
$100,000
Decommissioning
and Deactivation (D&D) activities at nuclear facilities involves the
disassembly of heavy concrete structures containing miles of steel pipes and
other materials that must be cut up and removed from the inside of a sealed
facility. For this purpose, a
remotely controlled robot arm, with a power-saw fixtured to its tool plate and
mounted on a rover, would be a valuable substitute for human workers.
However, no saw has the versatility to adapt to the wide range of D&D
materials and cutting conditions; and, even under ideal circumstances, the
design, fabrication, integration, and debugging of fixtures is a notoriously
time-consuming cost driver. This
project will develop a universal robotic hand that can secure and operate common
off-the-shelf power tools, semi-automatically swap them as needed, and
contribute to a wide variety of other tasks such as manipulating concrete blocks
and other debris. Advanced embedded
intelligence will enable the hand to adapt to the infinite variety of contoured
shapes that defy conventional fixturing. Phase
I will identify and procure a set of commercial tools that cover a range of
D&D tasks. Using articulated
wooden models, a variety of effective grasp geometries will be categorized
according to ruggedness, cost, and versatility (including finger-squeeze trigger
control of tool speed). An
engineering analysis will be performed, and a preliminary concept design will be
developed and evaluated for its overall impact on D&D operations.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee:
An automatically reconfigurable
fixture should be a key enabler for industrial robotic installations around the
globe. The technology would sharply
reduce fixturing and tooling costs while supporting a new level of robot
versatility.