Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and AutomationThe Care-O-bot and rob@work systems are equipped with highly flexible, commercial arms with six or seven degrees of freedom. Whereas rob@work is usually equipped with task-specific tools, Care-O-bot 3 uses a three-finger hand to grasp and operate a large number of everyday objects. Tactile sensors in the fingers of the hand allow the robot to adjust the grasping force precisely. Due to the tactile sensors in the fingers, the robot is also able to adjust the grasping force. In order to grasp an object, the robot approaches tables or cupboards with its backside. The arm is long enough to grasp objects even from the floor or to reach high shelves. The seventh degree of freedom allows the robots to reach around obstacles. In addition, Care-O-bot 3 uses the arm to position objects on its tray.
By synchronizing arm and platform movements the robots are further able extend the workspace of their manipulators. In a way that also complex operations such as opening a door can be performed.
Fraunhofer IPA: Service robot technology manipulation