This paper details the design and operation of the BarrettHand BH8-250, an
intelligent, highly flexible eight axis gripper that reconfigures itself in
real time to conform securely to a wide variety of part shapes without too
l-change interruptions. The grasper brings enormous value to factory automa
tion because it: reduces the required number and size of robotic workcells
(which average US$90,000 each - not including the high cost of footprint) w
hile boosting factory thoughput; consolidates the hodgepodge proliferation
of customized gripper-jaw shapes onto a common programmable platform; and e
nables incremental process improvement and accommodates frequent new-produc
t introductions, capabilities deployed instantly via software across intern
ational networks of factories.