Thesis AI Engineering Student : suction cup swapper

1.1 Goal :

Conceptualize, design, manufacture and test a system to be able to swap suction cups on-the-fly on our current vacuum tools for the Cognibotics robot.

1.2 Components

• Robot side
• Tool side
• Air filter
• (Modular) tool holder

1.3 Preferences

• On-the-fly swap, no stops
• Easy to swap suction cups in tool holder (manually)
• Useable with current vacuum tool or future tools -> adapters for tool side
• Useable with different sizes (threads) of suction cups -> adapters for suction cup side
• Lightweight (alu, plastics)
• Low maintenance (low number of parts, durable gaskets, no lubricants, durable sliding components, …)
• Low cost (low number of parts, easily made)
• Airtight with minimal sealing degradation over time

1.4 Process

• Market study
• Concept study (hold/release systems, sealing system, …)
• Component, material and surface finish selection / calculations (springs, … / plastics, … / anodizing, …)
• Budget
• Design (3D / 2D)
• Parts ordering and production
• Assembly
• Suction cup swap testing: functional + duration testing at different speeds and with different offsets (swapper holder)
• Vacuum level testing (sealing efficiency reference)