AML-Lab: Bionic Principles in Assembly Technology

The laboratory experiment "Bionic principles in assembly technology" is offered by the Institute of Assembly Technology in the AML laboratory area. This laboratory experiment will demonstrate how nature can be used and applied as a source of inspiration for technical problems.

The aim of this laboratory experiment is the systematic design of an automatic clamping device for the assembly of shafts, the functional principle of which is inspired by nature, more precisely by the gripping reflex of a bird. In birds, a natural locking mechanism (gripping reflex) triggered by tendons in the bird's foot provides the necessary hold when it sits on a branch, for example. 

The described gripping principle serves as the basis upon which students develop an automatic shaft gripper in the lab. To enable gripper movement, a thermoformable spring made from shape memory alloys (SMAs) is used. The parameters necessary for design are determined using a testing machine. Students also learn how to use the motion software ASOMv7 for the development and design of the gripper. Course objective is a gripper that corresponds to the requirements.