Soft Robotic Claws Can Grasp Fragile Objects with Care

Robotic claws, or grippers, are notoriously hard to use — remember trying to pick up a toy with an arcade claw machine as a kid (or an adult)? But a new soft gripper designed by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, funded in part by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation, offers an easier way to robotically grasp objects. Traditional methods use embedded sensors and complex feedback loops, plus user skill, to pick up fragile objects, but the new device uses a gentler touch.

This new gripper is made with foot-long hollow rubber tubes. Because one side of each tube is thicker than the other, when the tubes are filled with air they gently curl around the object they’re trying to pick up. Each tube on its own is relatively weak and won’t damage delicate objects — think of endangered coral reefs or fragile human tissue — but when combined they deftly pick up whatever is needed.

Tests of the soft gripper included picking up houseplants and toys, but real-world applications, in addition to deep sea creatures and medical uses, could include harvesting soft fruits and vegetables in agriculture or picking up fragile glassware at a warehouse.

Source: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences