Design of Gripper Jaws Applicable to Multiple Sizes and Types of Bowls for Upside-down Placement in a Dishwasher Rack

Abstract

In recent years, due to the decrease in the working population, restaurants and other food service industries are required to automate various tasks such as serving, washing, and storing dishes. In this paper, we propose a design method for a simple gripper with bent jaws that can be used to place multiple sizes and types of bowls upside down in a dishwasher rack. Then, we design and fabricate bent jaws suitable for grasping target bowls using the proposed method. Moreover, we confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method through experiments on the placement of the bowls.