Abstract

Magnetic levitation (MagLev) systems have great potential for application in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing due to their scalability and flexibility, enabling highly reconfigurable in-machine material flow. However, their manipulation capabilities remain largely unexploited, as current applications almost exclusively focus on transportation. To enable grasping and manipulation directly on MagLev systems without requiring additional costly handling equipment, such as industrial robot arms, we present the Gripper MagBot, a low-cost parallel 6-DoF manipulator with an integrated 1-DoF gripper that mechanically couples three MagLev movers. The Gripper MagBot supports two operating configurations: a default mode and a single-track mode, selectable depending on the required stability and workspace footprint. To reconfigure a machine, the MagBot can be autonomously dropped off and picked up using a docking station. We showcase pick-and-place examples in simulation, as well as with the real Gripper MagBot using our inverse kinematics controller.

Multi-axis Movements

Pick-and-Place Example in Simulation

We created a MuJoCo model of the Gripper MagBot that, along with the inverse kinematic controller, is integrated into the MagBotSim library. Since MagBotSim is open-source, available via pip, and already includes the MuJoCo model of the 6D-Platform MagBot, it facilitates the development of motion planning and manipulation approaches specifically designed for MagBots.

Go to MagBotSim Documentation

Task: Grasp the cube, rotate it so that the white side is facing upward, and place the cube on the left platform.​

Platforms have different heights and are offset along the x-axis, i.e. task requires all DoFs​

Pick-and-Place Example