The gripper is used to pick up Skystones. The original prototype was a stationary base with another piece on a Servo motor to clamp around the stones. 

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Materials

The gripper needed a material that would produce enough friction to prevent the Skystones from falling out of the mechanism. The team considered Velcro, rubber bands, bubble wrap, styrofoam, and grip liner. The bubble wrap and the styrofoam were both too bulky and did not provide enough grip.

The grip liner worked well but the team wanted something that was even more reliable. The grip lining was taped around the arms of the gripper.

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Arms

Arms were added to the gripper to successfully pick up Skystones. The arms The arms are controlled by Servo motors. Originally, the arms were 32cm long however this was changed to a length of 29cm. The team found that shorter arms were more efficient than longer arms because the shorter arms provided better stability.

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Sensors

The gripper uses a color sensor and a distance sensor to find the Skystones. Typically, the sensor would be attached to the front of the robot's frame. This is not possible because the arms swings in front of where the sensor would be placed. A hole was cut out of the Lexan on the side of the robot and the sensors were attached to a bar on the back of the Lexan.