Abstract: An end effector for handling a sheet of flexible material. The end effector includes a support frame and manipulator assemblies, each attached to the support frame by a support mount. The manipulator assemblies include a holding tool having a lifting surface. The manipulator assemblies include a linear actuator, and the holding tool is connected to the linear actuator by a multiaxial joint. A drive provides—the displacement of the holding tool by the linear actuator. The end effector includes resilient members each rigidly affixed to two adjacent holding tools and positioned in a space providing a mutual distance between opposing faces of the adjacent holding tools, where each holding tool is connected to—adjacent holding tools—by the resilient members. The resilient members are configured to non-permanently deform in the space when adjacent holding tools are displaced relative to each other along displacement axes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for designing grippers and fixtures for handling objects in robotic manufacturing and pick-and-place tasks. To achieve this a method for determining a shape of the holding or support surface of the gripper or fixture is presented. This method includes steps of determining an initial shape of the support surface based on an outer shape of the object, applying a shaping function to different locations of the initial shape, determining modified shape points at locations of the initial shape by comparing the applied shaping function with the initial shape. If the application of the shaping function results in an extension of the initial shape G(xi,yj) at the neighbour location (xi, yj) this extension forms part of a modified support surface for the gripper or fixture. A method for determining an optimum shape of the support surface with respect to optimization conditions is also presented.