QB Robotics SoftHand Research User manual

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE. DO NOT DISCARD: KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
User Guide for Universal Robots

RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
Dear customer,
Thank you for purchasing our product.
The present document provides information at best of our knowledge at the time of
publication. This document could present differences from the product and it is
subject to changes without notice: the latest version is available on our webpage
www.qbrobotics.com.
qbroboticss.r.l. does not assume any responsibility for errors or omissions.
In nocaseqbroboticss.r.l. will be responsible for any loss, problems or damages to
persons or property arising from the use of this document.
The qb® logo and qbrobotics® are registered trademarks of qbrobotics s.r.l. In the
following, the indications of (R) are omitted.

Table of Contents
1 Preface .............................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Using this document 1
1.2 Symbols and conventions 1
1.3 Kit content 2
2 Safety................................................................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Intended use 3
2.2 Safety instructions 3
2.3 EC Directives on product safety 4
2.4 Environmental conditions 4
2.5 Environmental safety 4
3 Technical data................................................................................................................................. 6
3.1 Mechanical dimensions 6
3.2 Center of Mass 7
3.3 Mechanical characteristics 8
3.4 Electrical characteristics 9
3.5 Tool connector pinout 10
4 Description .................................................................................................................................... 12
4.1 General 12
4.2 Characteristics and key features 13
4.3 Standard customization 13
5 Mounting and wiring.................................................................................................................. 14
5.1 Tool mounting 14
5.2 Cable connections for e-Series robots 15
5.3 Cable connections for CB-Series robots 17
6 Software ......................................................................................................................................... 19
6.1 URCap 19
7 Maintenance and warranty ...................................................................................................... 25
7.1 General 25
8 FAQ and troubleshooting........................................................................................................... 27
8.1 The hand never connects to the robot system 27
8.2 The hand often disconnects while the robot is moving 28
8.3 The hand does not reopen correctly 30

8.4 The hand is connected but does not move 31
8.5 The demo is not as good as expected 32
8.6 The glove is deteriorated/broken 33
8.7 The USB flash drive is not working 34
8.8 Error C740A0 on e-Series robots 35
8.9 Grasping with a custom finger position 36
8.10 Simplified CAD models of the qb SoftHand 36
8.11 URCap installation 36
8.12 URCap uninstallation 37

QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —5
1 Preface
1.1 Using this document
The documentation must always be complete and in a perfectly readable state.
Keep the document accessible to the operating and, if necessary, maintenance personnel at all times.
Pass the document to any subsequent owner or user of the product.
1.2 Symbols and conventions
STYLE DESCRIPTION
Identifies information about practice or circumstances that can
lead to critical damages on the device and to personal injury.
Attentions help you identify a hazard, avoid a hazard, and
recognize the consequence.
Identifies information about practice or circumstances that can
lead to damages on the device and to personal injury.
Attentions help you identify a hazard, avoid a hazard, and
recognize the consequence.
Identifies remarkable information and additional notes.
Identifies tips and highlights.
Identifies the required tool to be used during the described
assembly phase.
Monospaced text Identifies file paths, file names and software functions.
CRITICAL:
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WARNING:
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NOTE:
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TIPS:
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2 —PREFACE
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
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1.3 Kit content
The kit consists of:
N.1 qb SoftHand Research 24 V;
N.1 MC_WR_ALU_ISO_04_33_102 flange adapter;
N.1 direct wrist connection cable for UR e-Series robots;
N.1 power line communication bridge with main cable of 3m;
N.1 power cable of 0.5 m;
N.1 USB cable of 0.5/1.8 m;
N.1 USB flash drive
URCap v3 (Polyscope versions 3.8+, 5.2+)
Manual;
Datasheet;
N.1 cylindrical pin EN ISO 8734 A d6x14 h6;
N.4 metrical screws EN ISO 4762 M6x10;
N.8 metrical screws EN ISO 10642 M3x8;
N.1 2 mm Allen hex key;
N.1 5 mm Allen hex key;
N.1flat-blade screwdriver.
NOTE:
The URCap v2 is deprecated since June 2019.
However you may request it if you need Polyscope 3.4+ compatibility.


QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —3
2 Safety
2.1 Intended use
The product design is intended for grasping objects in the weight range from 1 to 1700 g.
Fragile, sharp or sharp-edged objects shall not be grasped.
Objects having the ratio between the biggest and the smallest dimensions ≥8 and the main dimension
greater than 300 mm shall not be grasped.
The product, as its name suggests, is intended for research and educational use.
The product is intended for installation on robotic arms: the safety features are established only for use
as described in this document.
The safety of the product cannot be guaranteed in case of inappropriate use. One, single, inappropriate
use can result in a permanent damage to the safety of the product.
2.2 Safety instructions
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WARNING:
Check that all the content is intact after removing it from the packaging.
The device can be used only by specially trained staff.
Disconnect the power supply before installation, cleaning or maintenance operations.
Make sure that no residual energy remains in the system.
Always operate the product within the specifications defined.
Keep away from children and pets. Always set off or unplug when not in use.
Never use aerosol products, petroleum based lubricants or other flammable products on
or near the end-effectors.
Do not use any damaged power cable, plug, or loose outlet. It may cause damages to the
product or injury to people.
Do not touch electrical components to avoid damages due to electrostatic charges.
Make sure the end-effector is properly and securely bolted in place and cabled.
Do not use if damaged or defective. Do not disassemble.
Do not insert any objects between moving parts of the fingers.
Keep head and face outside the reach of the end-effector.
Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry when working with the end-effector.
Disrespect of these precautions can affect safety of the device.
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4 —SAFETY
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
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2.3 EC Directives on product safety
The following EC directives on product safety must be observed.
If the product is being used outside the UE, international, national and regional directives must be
also observed.
2.3.1 Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC)
Because of their small size, no serious threats to life or physical condition can normally be expected from
electric miniature drivers. Therefore, the Machinery Directive does not apply to our products. The
products described here are not "incomplete machines", so installation instructions are not normally
issued by qbrobotics.
2.3.2 Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU)
The Low Voltage Directive applies for all electrical equipment with a nominal voltage of 75 to 1500 V DC
and 50 to 1000 V AC. The products described in this device manual do not fall within the scope of this
directive, since they are intended for lower voltages.
2.4 Environmental conditions
Wrong environmental and operating conditions can lead to injuries, product damages and/or significant
reduction to the product's life.
2.5 Environmental safety
The qb SoftHand research must be disposed of in accordance with the applicable national laws,
regulations and standards.
All the components of this product have been chosen in accordance with the EU RoHS directive 2011/65/
EU: they are produced with restricted use of hazardous substances to protect the environment.
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WARNING:
Any use or application deviating from intended use is deemed to be impermissible misuse.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Use before performing a risk assessment;
Use outside the permissible operational conditions and specifications;
Use in not low-dust environment;
Use in places with high temperature or humidity;
Use in wet places;
Use in potentially explosive atmospheres;
Use in medical and life critical applications;
Use close to a human's head, face and eye area;
Use as a climbing aid;
Use in outdoor applications.
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QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —5
Observe national registration requirements for importers according to EU WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU.

6 —TECHNICAL DATA
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
3 Technical data
3.1 Mechanical dimensions
The figurebelow shows the overall dimensions of the qb SoftHand research, valid for both left and right
configurations;distancesand tolerances in the drawing are noted in millimeters[mm]and degrees[°].
Figure 1. — qb SoftHand drawings
WARNING:
Be aware that the above figure may be out of scale.
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QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —7
3.2 Center of Mass
The following table gives also the position of the Center of Mass of the SoftHand and defines its
Coordinate System, like depicted in the following schemes.
UNIT LEFT RIGHT
CoM x coordinate, OTX
[mm] 5 5
CoM y coordinate, OTY
[mm] 3 -3
CoM z coordinate, OTZ
[mm] 80 80
Weight [kg] 0.770
Center of Mass, OT, is evaluated w.r.t. ΣMconsidering the hand mounted with its palm facing the ground,
cf. the figures below.
Figure 2. — Robot Tool Coordinate System
On the left, it is represented the mechanical interface coordinate system ΣM(OM; XM, YM, ZM) of an
articulated robot, as defined by ISO 9787:2013. In particular, the center of the coordinate system, OM , is
on the interface surface of the robot tool flange and the ZM axis is coincident with the tool flange axis of
symmetry.Riis the i-th revolute joint of the robot and (O1; X1, Y1, Z1) is the base coordinate system of the
robot.
On the right,there is the Tool Coordinate System, ΣT(OT; XT, YT, ZT) , of the SoftHand. The center, OT ,
coincides with the center of mass of the hand and its position is defined by the distance from OM . The ZT
axis is normal to the palm, outgoing positive, and the YT axis follows the proximal-distal direction and
orientation. This definition implies that ΣT is the same for left and right SoftHands. So, the positive
orientation of XT axis will be on the side of the thumb in the right hand and on the side opposite to the
thumb in the left hand.
NOTE:
All coordinate systems here described follow the orthogonal right-hand rule.
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8 —TECHNICAL DATA
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
3.3 Mechanical characteristics
MINIMUM NOMINAL MAXIMUM
Pinch grasping payload [kg] —0.83 1.10
Power grasping payload [kg] —1.70 2.10
Hanging payload [kg] —10 30
Pinch grasping force [N] —10 11
Power grasping force [N] —46 62
Grasping time [s] — — 1.1
Releasing time [s] — — 1.1
Look at the graph for details.
Figure 3. — Maximum grasping force chart
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QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —9
Figure 4. — Maximum payload chart
Figure 5. — Chart notes
3.4 Electrical characteristics
MINIMUM NOMINAL MAXIMUM
Power supply voltage [VDC] 23.1 24 24.8
Power consumption [W] 1.4 18 30
Current limit [A] —0.75 *
Operational time [s] — — 300
Duty cycle [%] — — 69
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g

1 https://www.phoenixcontact.com/online/portal/us?uri=pxc-oc-itemdetail:pid=1424232
2 https://www.phoenixcontact.com/online/portal/us?uri=pxc-oc-itemdetail:pid=1404192
3 https://www.phoenixcontact.com/online/portal/us?uri=pxc-oc-itemdetail:pid=1098315
10 —TECHNICAL DATA
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
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MINIMUM NOMINAL MAXIMUM
Operating temperature [°C] -15 20 40
Relative humidity ** [%] 5 —80
Typical noise level [dB] —<50 —
* Starting spike current may be greater, but it is instantaneous.
** Only the non-condensing case is to be considered.
3.5 Tool connector pinout
On the qb SoftHand flange there is aPhoenix Contact 8-position M8 connector, A-coded, withgold-plated
copper alloy contacts — Part Number: 14242321.
The following cables are compliant and recommended:
Phoenix contact: 3mfree cable end with angled socket — Part Number: 14041922
Phoenix contact: 30mmfemale/female with angled sockets—Part Number:10983153
The RS485 protocol characteristics are as follow:
8 bit;
no parity;
1 stop bit;
no flow control;
2M baud rate.
# WIRE COLOR DESCRIPTION
1 White RS485+
2 Brown RS485+
3 Green 24V ***
4 Yellow GND ***
5 Gray 24V ***
6 Pink —
7 Blue —
8 Red GND ***
*** 24VDC and GND must be provided by an isolated Power Supply Unit.

QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —11
WARNING:
Any error in the pins connection may cause irremediable damages to the device.
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12 —DESCRIPTION
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
4 Description
4.1 General
qb SoftHand Research is an anthropomorphic robotic hand based on soft-robotics technology. It is
flexible, adaptable and able to interact with the surrounding environment, objects, or even humans while
limiting the risk of injuring operators, spoiling products, or damaging the robot itself.
Thanks to its soft nature the SoftHand by qbrobotics exploits the principles of synergies in an intrinsically
intelligent design that is not only safe w.r.t. unexpected human-robot interaction, but also adaptable to
grasp different shaped objects without any change in the control action — i.e. showing an unparalleled
level of simplicity and flexibility.
The combination of these innovations results in a flexible prehensile device that can grasp a wide variety
of objects. The single-motor actuation makes the hand plug-and-play, simple to control (one single motor
requires one single control signal to either close or open the whole hand), and affordable.
The custom-made electronic board inside the qb SoftHand Research is composed of a logic stage for
communication and low-level computation, and a power stage for motion control. This, together with a
DC motor and its absolute encoder, establishes a simple position and current control feedback regulated
by a properly tuned PID controller.
The intelligence is delegated to a Cypress PSoC 3 microcontroller — i.e. a programmable embedded
system-on-chip — which runs a custom firmware provided by qbroboticsthat enables an RS485 serial
communication channel.
If the robot controller or the IPC used does not support direct RS485 communication, it is possible to add a
qb Adapter Board (generally referred as qbdummy ) which acts as a transparent converter from µ-USB to
the RS485 differential line. In such a case the qb Adapter Board must be connected to a 24 VDC PSU.
The qb SoftHand is generally shipped with a qb Adapter Board equipped with a 3 meter-length cable.
Figure 6. — qb SoftHand hardware simplified scheme
The qb SoftHand Research does not use Common Industrial Protocols (CIP) or other industrial standards
for I/O communication due to historical design and technical reasons.
I/O data basically refers as measurements from the device, commands to the device, and parameters
from/to the device. These are handled in a custom package format as follows

4 mailto:[email protected]
QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —13
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A custom-made single-master-multiple-slave (SMMS) serial communication protocol is implemented to:
send commands to the connected devices;
read measurements from the connected devices (motor position and/or current);
get and set configuration parameters.
4.2 Characteristics and key features
Flexibility, adaptivity and robustness thanks to the soft-robotics design;
19 anthropomorphic DOFs controlled in one single synergy motion;
Dislocatable and self-reposition phalanges;
Up to 60 N grasping force*;
Up to 2.0 kg maximum payload*;
Maximum closure time of 1.1 s;
Total weight of 770 g (including aluminium flange and screws);
Universal Robots + plug-and-play certified;
ROS packages and general C++ API available;
* Grasp forces and payloads highly depend on object dimensions and approaching strategy (cf.
Mechanical Characteristics(see Page 6) ).
4.3 Standard customization
Mechanical flange adapters for non-standard robot flanges;
Left and Right chirality configurations;
Five distinct cover colors: dark-grey, orange, electric-blue, blackand white.
2-byte — common preamble;1
1-byte — target slave id;2
1-byte — payload length;3
n-byte — payload;4
1-byte — checksum for communication integrity.5
NOTE:
We may evaluate other customization for special partners; for requests, please contact our
sales team4.


14 —MOUNTING AND WIRING
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
5 Mounting and wiring
5.1 Tool mounting
The qb SoftHand research UR Kit allows you to connect the device to your UR robot arm, and to control it
directly from within the UR user interface — e.g. from the UR Teach Pendant.
To assemble the hand on the UR robot arm, please follow thefollowing instructions:
# INSTRUCTIONS
1 Insert (1) into the 6 mm hole on the UR wrist.
2Center (2) on the wrist diameter 63 mm, taking care that the
cylindrical pin (1) fits into one of the four d6 reamed through holes.
WARNING:
Use only the screws provided within the package. Longer screws could damage the robot or
the hand.
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QB SOFTHAND RESEARCH USER GUIDE —15
# INSTRUCTIONS
3
Fasten (2) to the UR wrist by tightening the four screws (3).
You need the 5 mm Allen wrench.
4Center (4) on the diameter 63 mm of (2), taking care that the plug
fits into one of the four d6 mm through holes.
5
Fix axially the hand by tightening the 8 screws (5).
You need the 2 mm Allen wrench.
Table 1. — Installation guidelines of the SoftHand research on UR. Referring to the baloons in the
pictures: (1) cylindrical pin EN ISO 8734 A d6x14 h6; (2) MC_WR_ALU_ISO_04_33_102; (3) n.4 metrical
screws EN ISO 4762 M6x10; (4)EE_H_RES_R_24V_83_123; (5) n. 8 metrical screws EN ISO 10642 M3x8.
5.2 Cable connections for e-Series robots
With e-Series robots you are now able to direct connect the qb SoftHand to the wrist connector and forget
about all the other wirings of CB-Series.

16 —MOUNTING AND WIRING
RELEASE 1.0.1 —15 JULY, 2020
# INSTRUCTIONS
1
Insert one of the two M8 connectors of (10) into the receptacle on
the hand wrist flange. Lock the M8 connector by manually
tightening its threaded ring on the body of the receptacle (max
tightening torque= 0.2 Nm).
2
Do the same on the other M8 connector of (10) w.r.t. thereceptacle
on the robot wrist flange. Lock the M8 connector by manually
tightening its threaded ring on the body of the receptacle (max
tightening torque= 0.2 Nm).
Table 2. — Installation guidelines of the SoftHand research on UR. Referring to the ballons in the pictures:
(10) EC_CBL_26_M8FA8_M8FA8_030.
If you use this type of connection, you must set up the robot as follows, in order to properly communicate
over RS485 through the wrist connector:
WARNING:
Be careful to insert the connector in the correct
direction.
Do not rotate the M8 connector when inserted into the
receptacle.
Minimum curve radius of the cable (10) = 51 mm.
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WARNING:
Be careful to insert the connector in the correct
direction.
Do not rotate the M8 connector when inserted into the
receptacle.
Minimum curve radius of the cable (10) = 51 mm.
