On the Development of a Specialized Flexible Gripper for Garment Handling

In this paper, we discuss ongoing work on the development of a new griper for garments handling and manipulation tasks. We analyze the specificity of the application determining the requirements for the design and functioning of the grasping system. Textiles do not have a stable shape and cannot be manipulated on the basis of a priori geometric knowledge. Therefore, the grasping task cannot be executed without exploring the material and the environment. This is to be achieved by a vision system, which is part of the robotic work cell, in combination with tactile sensors embedded in the fingertips of the gripper. A possible design for the gripper mechanism is outlined and open research and design problems are identified. 