Effects of Voltage Dips on Robotic Grasping

This paper addresses the effects of electric power quality on robotic operations. A general overview is reported to highlight the main characteristics of electric power quality and it’s effects on a powered system by considering an end-user’s viewpoint. Then, the authors outline the influence of voltage dip effects by focusing on robotic grasping applications. A specific case study is reported, namely that of LARM Hand IV, a three-fingered robotic hand which has been designed and built at LARM in Cassino, Italy. A dedicated test rig has been developed and set up to generate predefined voltage dips. Experimental tests are carried out to evaluate the effects of different types of voltage dip on the grasping of objects.