= Thank you =

Thank you for choosing the !BarrettHand™ BH8-280 Grasper™.  The !BarrettHand™ is designed to overcome the inflexibility of conventional grippers with microprocessor-enabled dexterity while maintaining durability, compactness, and ease of use.  The !BarrettHand™ is a multi-fingered Grasper™ with the dexterity to secure target objects of different sizes, shapes, and orientations.  Rather than rely on pinching gripper friction or permanent gripper-jaw shape customization the !BarrettHand™ gently envelops the object, securely locking its joints until commanded to release.

System integration with any robotic arm is fast and simple.  Even with its low, 1.2-kg, weight and compact form, it is totally self-contained.  Communication with the !BarrettHand™ offers a couple of connectivity options.  The BH8-280 utilizes either high-speed CAN connectivity with Barrett’s universal Puck controllers embedded in the hand, or a serial connection for guaranteed compatibility.  The !BarrettHand™ features a common cross-platform compatible API and provides powerful on-board motion control through Barrett’s open Grasper Control Language (GCL) facilitating supervisory control.

The compactness and low weight of the !BarrettHand™ assures that the enhanced dexterity does not compromise arm payload.  Its low mass and short base-to-grasp-center distance minimize joint loading on the host robot and reduce extraneous arm movements during object reorientation.  The custom control-electronics package is contained entirely within the palm shell, reducing electrical wiring to a single cable carrying all communications and motor power.

We hope that you enjoy the versatility and functionality of the !BarrettHand™.  Please don't hesitate to give feedback and to ask for advice when needed.  US+617-252-9000, [service@barrett.com>], or [http://www.barrett.com/robot/].

== Improvements over the previous model (BH8-262): ==
* New CANbus control offers > 10x the control rate of RS-232.
* Realtime control now includes torque and position control modes in addition to the standard velocity control.
* All joint positions are tracked, even after TorqueSwitch breakaway occurs.
* The palm height has been reduced by 18 mm, improving end-of-arm agility.
* Absolute magnetic encoders are more robust than the incremental optical encoders of the previous model and offer 10x position precision.
* LEDs on the hand indicate power or error state (error states available soon).
* Locally-controlled sensor/drive loops allow for lead-through programming.
* Programmable over-temperature shutdown with multiple heat sensors.
* Gear shields on “spread” axis help to keep grease in, fingers out.
* Smaller power supply with status LEDs.
* Maximum allowable cable length extended from 3 m to 35 m (using CANbus).
* The BarrettHand Graphical User Interface software has many new features, including: cross-platform compatibility (Windows/Linux), interactive 3D model using OpenGL, and enhanced data collection and graphing capabilities.