Abstract
A novel two-finger gripper using variable-reluctance (VR) technology is investigated in this paper. Its non-linear characteristics are explored through theoretical analysis and experiments. Based on the experimental model, a passivity-based controller is designed. With energy modification and damping injection, the robustness to variable inductance is verified by simulations and experiments. Through the incorporation of passivity-based control (PBC) with differential flatness, trajectory planning is realized and ideal performance is achieved.