In this paper, we propose the methods to deform the robot hands made of shape memory gel efficiently. We have developed the robots using the shape memory gel and performed their basic experiments. The shape memory gel is rigid at room temperature and soft at high temperature. The robot using shape memory gel can be deformed repeatedly. We develop two kinds of the system. One is press machine system and the other is molding system using grasped objects. The former is the system to press and deform heated and soft robot hand using linear transmission and molds. The latter is the system to grasp intricately-shaped objects.
In this study, we present the deformation of a robot hand made of shape memory gel. The gel at the room temperature is soft and heated gel is soft and easy to be deformed. The deformed gel becomes hard and its shape is kept when it is cooled. The gel recovers its original shape when it is reheated. We propose the procedure to deform the robot hand by a dual-arm robot and conduct an experiment of the modification. The flat plates of the hand are deformed to tweezers. Tweezers-like hand can be used for tasks such as grasping a small object.
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