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A Smart Soft Robotic Gripper with Growing and Twinning Abilities
Synopsis
This smart soft gripper extends and adapts to objects of varying sizes, shapes and weights, securely gripping them with integrated sensors for precise control. Key components include flexible fingers, an actuation system and sensor integration, enabling advanced functionality and situational awareness.
Opportunity
Bio-inspired soft robots mimic natural organisms like octopus arms, pythons, elephant trunks and tendrils, enhancing navigation and interaction with their surroundings. However, current robotic grippers lack the adaptability of their biological counterparts, especially when handling objects that are soiled, wet, densely clustered or vary significantly in size, shape and weight. Monitoring accurate force, shape and position is challenging due to the intrinsic nonlinearity of soft materials. Most industrial soft robotic grippers lack integrated sensors, limiting their situational awareness. This smart soft gripper addresses these challenges with an extra dimension of extension to grow and twine around objects, incorporating sensors to enhance precision and adaptability.
Technology
This smart soft robotic gripper features a distinctive capability to extend and wrap around objects, securely gripping objects of varying sizes, shapes and weights. Additionally, it incorporates sensors that provide real-time information on contact status, applied force and object shape, enhancing the gripper’s intelligence. The smart soft robotic gripper consists of three key components: flexible fingers, actuation system and sensor integration.
Figure 1: Smart gripping capabilities of robotic gripper.
Applications & Advantages
Main application areas include agriculture, food, underground and underwater exploration and logistics. The advantages offered by this technology include:
Outstanding payload-to-self weight ratio of 690%
Wide adaptability, soft touch and soft fingers
Compact size enables access to constricted areas
Large contact area evenly distributes contact force for secure gripping
Diverse sensor modalities that enhances situational awareness and control
Modularity to work with various tools for diverse applications
