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Robot Gripper Selection Guide

How to choose the right robot gripper: parallel jaw, vacuum, soft, dexterous. Matching gripper type to task requirements.

Gripper Type Taxonomy

The gripper is where the robot meets the world. Choosing the wrong gripper is the single most common cause of low grasp success rates. There are six major gripper categories, each suited to different object geometries, surface properties, and throughput requirements.

Type Examples Force / Stroke Weight Price Best For
Parallel Jaw (2-finger) Robotiq 2F-85, OnRobot RG2, Schunk EGP 20-235 N / 20-85 mm 0.3-1.0 kg $1,500-$5,000 Rigid objects, boxes, cylinders, machine tending
Vacuum / Suction OnRobot VGC10, Schmalz, Piab 15-150 N holding / N/A 0.2-0.8 kg $500-$3,000 Flat surfaces, boxes, packaging, sheet material
Magnetic Schunk EMH, OnRobot MG10 3-15 kg holding / N/A 0.5-2.0 kg $1,000-$3,000 Ferrous metal parts, sheet metal, stamped components
Soft / Compliant Soft Robotics mGrip, RightHand RightPick 5-30 N / adapts to shape 0.2-0.5 kg $2,000-$8,000 Delicate/irregular items, food, produce, e-commerce
3-Finger Adaptive Robotiq 3-Finger, Barrett BH8-282 15-60 N / 0-155 mm 1.0-2.3 kg $5,000-$15,000 Mixed objects, research, high-variety bin picking
Dexterous Hand Allegro Hand, LEAP Hand, Orca Hand 2-10 N per finger / 12-24 DOF 0.5-4.0 kg $2,000-$120,000 In-hand manipulation, tool use, dexterity research

Task-to-Gripper Mapping

Task Recommended Gripper Why
Pick-and-place (rigid boxes) Vacuum or Parallel Jaw Vacuum for top-down picks on flat surfaces; parallel jaw for side grasps
Bin picking (mixed objects) Soft gripper or 3-finger adaptive Adapts to unknown shapes; tolerates pose uncertainty
CNC machine tending Parallel jaw (long stroke) Rigid grasp on machined parts; IP67 rating for coolant
Food handling Soft gripper (food-grade silicone) Gentle grip, FDA-compliant materials, washable
Sheet metal handling Magnetic or vacuum Magnetic for ferrous; vacuum with flat cups for non-ferrous
Research data collection Parallel jaw (Robotiq 2F-85) Standard in research; excellent ROS2 support; reproducible results
Dexterous manipulation research Dexterous hand Required for in-hand rotation, tool use, and fine manipulation

ROS2 Integration

Most modern grippers provide ROS2 drivers or can be controlled via simple serial/Modbus commands wrapped in a ROS2 node. Key integration patterns:

  • Robotiq 2F-85/140: Official robotiq_driver ROS2 package. Publishes gripper state, accepts position/force commands. Works with MoveIt2 grasp pipeline.
  • OnRobot grippers: onrobot_driver package via TCP/IP. Simple open/close with force feedback.
  • Vacuum grippers: Typically controlled via digital I/O on the robot controller. ROS2 integration through the robot driver's I/O interface (e.g., ur_robot_driver GPIO service).
  • Custom/3D-printed grippers: Control via servo motor (Dynamixel or hobby servo). Use dynamixel_sdk ROS2 package or direct PWM via GPIO.

For OpenArm 1, we provide pre-tested gripper integration for Robotiq 2F-85 and a custom 3D-printed parallel jaw gripper included in the base package.

Selection Checklist

  1. What is the maximum object weight? (determines minimum grip force: F = m * g * safety_factor, typically safety_factor = 3-5)
  2. What is the object size range? (determines required stroke/opening width)
  3. What surface properties? (smooth/rough, porous/sealed, wet/dry -- affects vacuum and friction grip)
  4. How many different objects? (1-3: specialized gripper; 10+: adaptive/soft gripper)
  5. What is the cycle time requirement? (vacuum grippers are fastest: 0.1s grasp; dexterous hands are slowest: 1-5s)
  6. IP rating needed? (IP40 for clean rooms; IP67 for wet/dusty environments)
  7. Weight budget at end-effector? (subtract gripper weight from arm payload for usable capacity)
  8. Communication protocol? (must be compatible with your robot controller)

OpenArm Compatible Grippers

The OpenArm 1 has a standard ISO 9409-1-50 flange and supports these tested gripper configurations:

  • Included: Custom 3D-printed parallel jaw (30 mm stroke, servo-driven, 100g weight, 200g grip force)
  • Recommended upgrade: Robotiq 2F-85 ($2,500) -- 85 mm stroke, 235 N force, position feedback
  • For dexterous research: Orca Hand with Paxini tactile sensors
  • For suction tasks: OnRobot VGC10 ($1,800) with vacuum cups

Gripper Type Taxonomy

The gripper is where the robot meets the world. Choosing the wrong gripper is the single most common cause of low grasp success rates. There are six major gripper categories, each suited to different object geometries, surface properties, and throughput requirements.

Type Examples Force / Stroke Weight Price Best For
Parallel Jaw (2-finger) Robotiq 2F-85, OnRobot RG2, Schunk EGP 20-235 N / 20-85 mm 0.3-1.0 kg $1,500-$5,000 Rigid objects, boxes, cylinders, machine tending
Vacuum / Suction OnRobot VGC10, Schmalz, Piab 15-150 N holding / N/A 0.2-0.8 kg $500-$3,000 Flat surfaces, boxes, packaging, sheet material
Magnetic Schunk EMH, OnRobot MG10 3-15 kg holding / N/A 0.5-2.0 kg $1,000-$3,000 Ferrous metal parts, sheet metal, stamped components
Soft / Compliant Soft Robotics mGrip, RightHand RightPick 5-30 N / adapts to shape 0.2-0.5 kg $2,000-$8,000 Delicate/irregular items, food, produce, e-commerce
3-Finger Adaptive Robotiq 3-Finger, Barrett BH8-282 15-60 N / 0-155 mm 1.0-2.3 kg $5,000-$15,000 Mixed objects, research, high-variety bin picking
Dexterous Hand Allegro Hand, LEAP Hand, Orca Hand 2-10 N per finger / 12-24 DOF 0.5-4.0 kg $2,000-$120,000 In-hand manipulation, tool use, dexterity research

Task-to-Gripper Mapping

Task Recommended Gripper Why
Pick-and-place (rigid boxes) Vacuum or Parallel Jaw Vacuum for top-down picks on flat surfaces; parallel jaw for side grasps
Bin picking (mixed objects) Soft gripper or 3-finger adaptive Adapts to unknown shapes; tolerates pose uncertainty
CNC machine tending Parallel jaw (long stroke) Rigid grasp on machined parts; IP67 rating for coolant
Food handling Soft gripper (food-grade silicone) Gentle grip, FDA-compliant materials, washable
Sheet metal handling Magnetic or vacuum Magnetic for ferrous; vacuum with flat cups for non-ferrous
Research data collection Parallel jaw (Robotiq 2F-85) Standard in research; excellent ROS2 support; reproducible results
Dexterous manipulation research Dexterous hand Required for in-hand rotation, tool use, and fine manipulation

ROS2 Integration

Most modern grippers provide ROS2 drivers or can be controlled via simple serial/Modbus commands wrapped in a ROS2 node. Key integration patterns:

  • Robotiq 2F-85/140: Official robotiq_driver ROS2 package. Publishes gripper state, accepts position/force commands. Works with MoveIt2 grasp pipeline.
  • OnRobot grippers: onrobot_driver package via TCP/IP. Simple open/close with force feedback.
  • Vacuum grippers: Typically controlled via digital I/O on the robot controller. ROS2 integration through the robot driver's I/O interface (e.g., ur_robot_driver GPIO service).
  • Custom/3D-printed grippers: Control via servo motor (Dynamixel or hobby servo). Use dynamixel_sdk ROS2 package or direct PWM via GPIO.

For OpenArm 1, we provide pre-tested gripper integration for Robotiq 2F-85 and a custom 3D-printed parallel jaw gripper included in the base package.

Selection Checklist

  1. What is the maximum object weight? (determines minimum grip force: F = m * g * safety_factor, typically safety_factor = 3-5)
  2. What is the object size range? (determines required stroke/opening width)
  3. What surface properties? (smooth/rough, porous/sealed, wet/dry -- affects vacuum and friction grip)
  4. How many different objects? (1-3: specialized gripper; 10+: adaptive/soft gripper)
  5. What is the cycle time requirement? (vacuum grippers are fastest: 0.1s grasp; dexterous hands are slowest: 1-5s)
  6. IP rating needed? (IP40 for clean rooms; IP67 for wet/dusty environments)
  7. Weight budget at end-effector? (subtract gripper weight from arm payload for usable capacity)
  8. Communication protocol? (must be compatible with your robot controller)

OpenArm Compatible Grippers

The OpenArm 1 has a standard ISO 9409-1-50 flange and supports these tested gripper configurations:

  • Included: Custom 3D-printed parallel jaw (30 mm stroke, servo-driven, 100g weight, 200g grip force)
  • Recommended upgrade: Robotiq 2F-85 ($2,500) -- 85 mm stroke, 235 N force, position feedback
  • For dexterous research: Orca Hand with Paxini tactile sensors
  • For suction tasks: OnRobot VGC10 ($1,800) with vacuum cups