Development of a Bernoulli Suction-Type Non-Contact Manipulator Capable of Controlling Object Position and Orientation During Holding

Abstract

In this study, we propose a Bernoulli suction-type non-contact manipulator that can attract an object and simultaneously change its in-plane position and orientation while holding it. The proposed manipulator consists of a suction plate equipped with six compressed-air nozzles. By ejecting compressed air from the nozzles toward the object surface, a low-pressure region is generated, which allows the object to be adsorbed on the suction plate. Furthermore, by independently adjusting the airflow rate of each nozzle, thrust forces are applied to the object surface, enabling translational motion with two degrees of freedom and rotational motion with one degree of freedom on the plane while the object is held. A high-speed camera is used to capture and calculate the position and orientation of the object, and feedback control is implemented to achieve precise control of its motion and posture. This letter describes the structure and working principle of the Bernoulli suction manipulator and experimentally verifies the feasibility of simultaneously controlling translational and rotational motion while maintaining suction.