Robots are programmable machines that can perform complex tasks in different domains while guaranteeing cleanliness, improving safety, and saving time and products. Interestingly, one of the domains is the food industry and more specifically the Middle Eastern kitchen. Stuffed Zucchini is a very important dish whose ultimate challenge is to avoid poking its bottom with the corer. That being said, this research introduces a novel platform which is to model a robot arm that holds a corer and is able to perform a zucchini-stuffing task precisely and efficiently. First, the mobility of the arm has been conducted that allows the mechanism to reach maximum degrees of freedom (DOF) and that will ensure smooth hollowing while the corer is put in motion. Then, reference frames for the corer, hand and zucchini is developed to avoid the corer from stabbing the bottom. Finally, grasping is ensured that the hand grabs the zucchini softly without crushing it. The three topics mentioned helped in determining the most suitable model to encounter a gap issue which might be related to the diameter of the hollow. A systematic way has been developed to describe the links and joint’s position and orientation that allow accomplishing the stuffing mission with an efficient use of the robot redundancy for the task of positioning the end-effector. This give rise to a mathematical formulation of an implicit representation of the manipulator configuration space. That is why the special Euclidean group of the homogenous transformation matrices derived between different links are discussed in the context of their properties.  Moreover, the spatial twist and the forward kinematics analysis is conducted based on Mozzi-Chasles’ theorem rather than using the traditional Denavit Hartenberg convention. The screw theorem has no restrictions in choosing a global frame and defining a certain end-effector frame is not required. Furthermore, screw theorem has been employed for a better task-oriented planning of zucchini mechanism. Finally, the linear sensitivity and singular configurations of the proposed mechanism has been covered through the Jacobian matrix of the end-effector of robot manipulator. Results indicate a promising mechanism that is well designed and capable of being built and most importantly perform the required task. The force ellipsoid indicated a suitable forces generated at the inner walls of the zucchini in different directions. The ultimate objective of this study can utilize the previous knowledge into a robot-hand-model that will make zucchini-stuffing easier for chefs and most importantly our moms!


Design of Robotic Manipulator to Hollow Out Zucchini

Division / Sponsors: 
Aerospace, Bioengineering, Applied Mechanics, Design Engineering Division, Advanced Energy Systems, Manufacturing Engineering Division, Noise Control and Acoustics, Nondestructive Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Prognosis (NDPD), Nuclear Engineering Division, Process Industries Division, Fluids Engineering, Heat Transfer, Materials, Microelectromechanical Systems, Safety Engineering and Risk Analysis, Computers & Information in Engineering


Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2020/volume/84478

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