en.Wedoany.com Reported - German industrial automation company Festo has launched an intelligent grasping software called GripperAI, designed for robotic cells that handle different products within the same machine. In mixed-product production environments, repeated programming, application-specific integration, and 3D camera setup are typically required, which can slow down deployment, increase integration costs, and hinder automation scalability.

The intelligent grasping software runs locally on the robotic cell via a standard industrial PC connected to a 3D camera. It enables the robot to handle multiple items without custom programming and automatically adjusts between different SKUs without requiring programming modifications or template loading. The deployment and integration steps include installing and aligning the camera, confirming suitable lighting, calibrating the robot base with the camera coordinate system, and setting picking parameters. Once set up, the software calculates gripping points for each detected item, automatically selects the appropriate tool when multiple tools are available, and sends motion commands to the robot's path control system. If a gripping attempt fails, the system recalculates and retries without the need for reprogramming.

Since the software architecture remains consistent across different camera types, factories can choose matching vision hardware based on application and budget, with low-cost 3D cameras being sufficient for most applications. The software is compatible with numerous industrial robots, collaborative robots, and Cartesian systems that use path control systems, and it is robot-brand agnostic, allowing users to flexibly deploy or expand cells while continuing to use existing equipment and adding systems suited to the application.

In an application case, Germany's Würth Group faced challenges with mixed-product handling at its central distribution center. Robots equipped with the intelligent grasping software utilize a tool station with vacuum and mechanical grippers to select the appropriate gripper for different products, ranging from small USB drives to boxes weighing up to 44 pounds (20 kilograms), reducing the need for manual handling and addressing ergonomic issues in high-speed operations.

The intelligent grasping software features multiple capabilities: handling mixed, unknown, and randomly stored items without loading templates between SKUs; automatically calculating gripping points and selecting from available tools; automatically recalculating and retrying upon gripping failure; running locally on a standard industrial PC connected to a 3D camera; supporting various 3D vision hardware with a consistent architecture; being compatible with a wide range of industrial robots, collaborative robots, and Cartesian systems; and enabling deployment and expansion independent of a single robot brand or model.

This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com