RollingHand, Bucket-type End-effector - Ritsumeikan University Actuation Laboratory [The 31st International Food Ingredients & Additives Exhibition and Conference]

This is the Kakogawa Laboratory at Ritsumeikan University.
We have developed an end effector called the Rolling Hand, which is the hand part of a robot designed to grasp fixed amounts of powders and similar materials in the food industry, and I would like to introduce it.
Currently, in processes where raw materials such as powders are fed in the food and chemical industries, much of the work still depends on human labor, so we want to automate those operations.
One feature of this system is that it can scoop material all the way from the bottom of a container filled with powder.
With conventional industrial robots, contact with objects is considered dangerous and is generally avoided as much as possible, but the hand we developed has flexibility, allowing it to scoop material from the bottom of the container.
Another feature is that it can grasp a fixed amount. By limiting the volume inside this bucket-shaped case and adding a leveling motion from above, we developed this end effector, or robot hand, inspired by the way humans use teaspoons or tablespoons.
The idea is to scoop material, level it off, take a fixed amount, and feed it into processing equipment.
With this approach, compared with systems that often use weighing equipment for quantitative measurement, the operation can be completed more quickly.
We are currently working with a venture company that uses systems like this to measure raw materials for shipment, and we are continuing development toward commercialization.
If you are interested in this technology or initiative, please visit the website of the Kakogawa Laboratory at Ritsumeikan University’s Actuation Laboratory, where you can find contact information.
Thank you very much.