Force evaluation of electrostatic gripper with arrayed fibers consisting of parallel and coaxial electrodes

Electrostatic gripper is a technology that has seen many advancements in the last few decades. Its popularity among researchers is due mainly to many advantages it offers, e.g. its ability of a simple force control by adjusting the applied voltage to the electrodes. The electrostatic gripper with voltages of positive and negative polarities is particularly deemed promising as it can handle various materials, especially dielectrics, by the principle of polarization due to the electric fields. In this work, an electrostatic gripper with a beam-array structure made of conductive polymeric fibers is considered. The structure of coaxial electrodes has been understood to sport a superior performance; however no comparative analysis has been reported so far. Thus, this work offers an empirical comparison between fibers consisting of coaxial and parallel electrodes by experiments which are validated by numerical simulations. Furthermore, utilizing numerical simulations, design guidelines, especially concerning the voltage polarity patterns are established. The results are expected to shed an insight toward the development of a full-fledged electrostatic gripper for industrial use.