A Benchmarking Framework for Systematic Evaluation of Compliant Under-Actuated Soft End Effectors in an Industrial Context

This paper presents an approach for systematic evaluation of robotic end effectors for an industrial use case that handles delicate, deformable, non-regular objects such as fruits and vegetables. To handle these objects, soft under-actuated hands are the most promising technology so far. However, the approach directions suitable for grasping objects are not usually easy to establish due to the under-actuation effect; therefore, we propose an experimental protocol to serve as framework for data collection, which aims to assess the best directions for grasping using a particular end effector. This protocol, focused on reproducibility and comparability, allows for a better understanding of how a particular hand embodiment influences grasping success for individual products. The protocol can also be used as an effective tool for redesign, and it was applied to evaluate two well-known soft hands (RBO Hand and Pisa/IIT SoftHand) for handling groceries.