Benchmarking Protocols for Evaluating Grasp Strength, Grasp Cycle Time, Finger Strength, and Finger Repeatability of Robot End-effectors

Published

April 1, 2020

Author(s)

Joseph A. Falco, Daniel Hemphill, Kenneth E. Kimble, Elena R. Messina, Adam Norton, Rafael F. Ropelato, Holly A. Yanco

Abstract

This paper describes a set of metrics and supporting benchmarking protocols for determining the performance characteristics of robot end-effectors. In the short-term, these tools are proving useful as a common ground for assessing and comparing end-effectors. The long-term goal is a standard framework for providing technical specifications for robotic end-effectors to help pair technologies to application spaces. This paper presents a subset of the metrics - grasp strength, grasp cycle time, finger strength, and finger repeatability - with accompanying measurement techniques and supporting test artifacts. The application of these metrics and protocols is demonstrated using example implementations to characterize a variety of robot end-effectors, with example data sets and test designs provided for downloading.

Citation

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters

Volume

5

Issue

2

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

DOI Link

Keywords

Robotic grasping, performance benchmarking, manufacturing

Citation

Falco, J. , Hemphill, D. , Kimble, K. , Messina, E. , Norton, A. , Ropelato, R. and Yanco, H. (2020), Benchmarking Protocols for Evaluating Grasp Strength, Grasp Cycle Time, Finger Strength, and Finger Repeatability of Robot End-effectors, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2020.2964164 (Accessed July 28, 2025)