The iCaLo project continues to advance the future of autonomous healthcare logistics with the successful integration of a custom-designed gripper onto its mobile robot platform.

Building on the arrival of the next-generation TIAGo Pro robot from our partners at PAL Robotics, the HIT team has now equipped the system with a new, force-controlled gripper. While the robot currently rocks a single arm, the gripper addition sparks playful speculation among the team: perhaps it’s time to think about that second arm 😏

The custom gripper boasts advanced features designed for the demanding tasks of healthcare logistics:

• Custom drivers and hardware abstraction, ensuring seamless operation within the robot’s ecosystem.
• Force-controlled grasping, allowing delicate handling of various objects.
• Underactuated middle finger, providing adaptable and reliable object manipulation.
• Full integration with PAL Robotics systems, maintaining complete compatibility with the TIAGo Pro platform.
• Full support for ROS2, MoveIt, and Gazebo, enabling smooth simulation, planning, and real-world execution.

The team’s focus now turns to expanding the gripper’s capabilities with impedance-controlled grasping, advanced tactile sensing, and more robust communication protocols, further enhancing reliability and autonomy in hospital environments.