igus ReBeL Collaborative Robotic Bionic Hand Introduced

The igus ReBeL product line adds a new humanoid hand made of lubrication-free, high-performance engineering plastics.

Robots are now an integral part of industry and are increasingly entering small and medium-sized businesses in the form of collaborative robots such as ReBeL.

They can perform sorting, picking and moving operations with the help of cameras, suction devices and clamping systems.

Now, igus has developed a new robotic gripper for its ReBeL collaborative robots to mimic human tasks.

It is made entirely of lubrication-free engineering plastics, making it cost-effective and easy to integrate.

ReBeL is a compact and lightweight collaborative robot from igus to help customers start their robotics applications in a cost-effective way.

It is ideal for assembly tasks, quality inspection and service industry work. In order for the robot to be able to actually perform tasks, we need to equip it with grippers and suction devices.

For this reason, igus offers a wide selection of end-effectors from different manufacturers on its low-cost robotics online marketplace, RBTX.com.

"Weighing just 8kg and priced from €3,970, the lightweight and inexpensive nature of the ReBeL makes it often used in humanoid applications.

As a result, we have received a number of requests from customers for us to design a robotic hand that requires it to be easily attached to the ReBeL via plug-and-play."

explains Alexander Mühlens, head of the igus Low Cost Automation business unit. In response to the customer's request, igus has now developed a cost-effective ReBeL robotic hand claw for only €1,840.

The humanoid gripper is compatible with all ReBeL models. It is controlled via DIO at the center point of the tool and is therefore easy to integrate and can be used in a wide range of applications.

The special feature of this hand gripper is that it imitates human hand movements." With the help of this low-cost manipulator, the ReBeL can perform a variety of simple humanoid tasks and applications.

For example, they can be used in areas such as university research and development or used to perform tasks in the catering or entertainment industry, among others." Mühlens said.

Precise movement of the manipulator thanks to high-performance engineering plastics

All components of the new manipulator, including flanges, cables and control units, are supplied directly by igus. As a result, all components are guaranteed to be 100% compatible.

Thanks to the lubrication-free high-performance engineering plastics, the product is cost-effective.

The joints of the grippers are fitted with plain bearings made from iglidur engineering plastics, which are not only cost-effective and lubrication-free, but also ensure smooth and precise operation of each finger.

Extensive tests in the 3,800 square meter igus in-house test laboratory have proven the long service life of the hand imitators.

They are very flexible and can be controlled via many interfaces such as USB, TTL (5V) serial interface and internal scripting.

In addition to the robotic grippers, igus offers many other products for the ReBeL environment, such as protective suits, 7th axis, fixture kits, adapter plate kits, flexible drag chain systems, tables and connecting cables.