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Development of an autonomous, adaptable robotic arm with human interaction capabilities for use in the manufacturing industry

In order to meet future consumer demands, such as more customisable and personal products, there is a current shift within industry towards more customisable and flexible manufacturing. This will require the development of robots with performance parameters such as adaptability and flexibility. An important enabler of these is the development of robotic dexterity, or more specifically manipulative dexterity, which is paramount in order for robot arms to perform tasks that require grasping and in-hand manipulation of objects. To address the above, this project has explored the current state of manipulative dexterity and has developed a novel approach to benchmarking the parameter. Using this approach and the Robotic Operating System (ROS) framework, the performance of various robotic manipulators is now being simulated and assessed. This combined with actual testing with an ABB IRB 120 robotic arm will help to capture the current state-of-the-art in the area of robotic manipulative dexterity. With this knowledge, this project will develop and critique a new robotic manipulator specifically aimed at performing dexterous operations. This will include the integration of sensing and perception in order to facilitate more advanced manipulative tasks.

Funding Body
  • Irish Research Council EMBARK Initiative


picking operation on an industrial robot


Picking up a screwdriver with the “Robbie” robot


Operation of an industrial robot using Robot Operating System (ROS)