At the University of Georgia, scientists created a small and sensitive soft robotic gripper that gently but firmly holds the smaller objects, even a minimum of 1 millimeter in diameter. This idea was taken from pole beans that twine against a rope or any other elongated structure. The process of making a soft robotic gripper required a single pneumatic control that simplifies its actions. Moreover, scientists incorporated a fiber optic sensor in the robot’s elastic spine to sense the surface and twine against the gripped object. This sensor also calculates the twinning angle, physical attributes of the object, and any external stimuli that can affect the gripping. This gripper is just 3 inches long. Read more

December, 2020