Conclusion

Overall, the project required a bit of thought and the design was a bit tedious since one of the main objectives was to make it compact.  However since we wanted a fast linear motion, we needed to generate a good amount of force.  This force can be obtained with a mechanism such as the four-bar used in this project, alongside a gear train and a decently strong servo. We are sure there are clever ways of arranging the system in a more efficient way while also creating a more simpler and efficient mechanism that outputs more force out, thus being able to compress stiffer springs and ultimately generating a really fast gripper release.    

Future Work

-use PMKS (Planar Mechanism Kinematic Simulator) to calculates position, velocity, and acceleration of linkages in most standard mechanisms. 

-matlab analysis of position, velocity, and anlsysis of middle point of final gripper link

-inset of a nut into both side of the center link 3 region in order to make the mechanism more robust 

-revise design of link 5 to make it so that the joint, which is the connection between the first and second mechanism is better supported, keeping the bearing from sliding up and down the shaft during motion

-replace bolts and nuts used to attach links with either pressed fit shafts or loose fit shafts with collar snap rings

-replace the servo with a DC motor to allow for faster closing and opening of the gripper. possible integration with the quick release mechanism that Frank Regal and Kevin Torres were working on.

-Incorporate below language from Frank and Kevin's project into this one

Future work would most likely consist of creating the gripper mechanism and design it so that it is able to grasp on to water bottles efficiently. We would then merge it with the quick release mechanism created in this project.  Another improvement to work on would be to make it even more compact and light weight, since the final prototype is the size of someone's head.  Ideally, the size of the gripper should be around the same size as a human fist.  It would also be nice to make a better case for the device while compacting the components inside more efficiently. Besides that, changing the design so that it looks more aesthetic would be great.