In my limited experience I think that it has good grip strength. I don’t think there’s a way for the user to adjust the grip. I assume you mean the official Newton product video since you didn’t include a link to any videos.
I agree that it should be user settable. To be fair, I have seen people on this forum talking about how they use the Newton Gripper for body recoveries in SAR missions, so not damaging the human body is a valid consideration. There’s also the obvious situation of curious people and careless operators that need to be accounted for. I have even been tempted to test it on myself a couple times though I’m not stupid enough to actually try it. It effortlessly slices through aluminum cans (even the top and bottom where it’s strongest) so I wouldn’t call it a toy.
I have never heard of this failsafe. I will try to test it and see if it exists. I leave my gripers closed when its not used and they have never moved. I also don’t understand how that failsafe would work. How is the gripper motor going to run when the battery is dead?
I have a few videos of testing it for fun.
Here I pick up a steel plate about as long as the ROV is wide:
Grabbing a bottle and some cans
You did actually look at the product page, right?
| Grip Force (at tip) | 97N | 22lbf |
|---|---|---|
| Grip Force (in middle) | 124N | 28lbf |
| Push-rod Axial Load Rating | 3 kg | 6.6 lb |
| Minimum Linear Piston Travel | 13.5 mm | 0.53 in |
| Jaw Opening | 62 mm | 2.44 in |
| Time to Open/Close | 1.6 secs |