Gripper with Larger Flat Ends

This is my remix of the excellent Mantis Gripper. My goal was to automate the tedious task of testing cash dispensers at work using scrap and off the shelf parts. Video here: https://youtu.be/ED8kZkMuPWg. I needed a larger flat gripping area than the original Gripper, so I modified both the large and small grippers. I used everything else from the original Mantis. I added screw-on sensor brackets to the ends of the two grippers to house an infrared emitter/sensor combo. A stand was designed so I could attach the gripper to a motorized slide base. There are various motor mounts, sensor mounts, belt grips and the like that I designed. You can them use as-is or customize them using the 123D design files in the ZIP file.


The gripper itself is controlled by an Arduino and the moving slide it's mounted on is run by an Adafruit Motor Shield. The function of the assembly is to sense when bills are presented into the open gripper. It closes the gripper, moves the gripper rearward on a