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Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Published on: August 2, 2016

Soft Robotic Grippers.

Jun Shintake¹, Vito Cacucciolo², Dario Floreano¹

¹Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Institute of Microengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

|May 9, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Soft robotic grippers offer versatile object manipulation through actuation, stiffness, or adhesion control. Advances in materials and sensors enhance their capabilities, paving the way for simpler, more universal designs.

Keywords:

adhesion smart materials soft grippers soft robotics variable stiffness

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Stretchable Electronics

Background:

Soft robotics has seen significant advancements, particularly in soft grippers, driven by progress in materials science and stretchable electronics.
Soft grippers offer advantages over rigid grippers, including the ability to grasp a wider variety of objects due to their flexibility and compliance.
These grippers exemplify morphological computation, reducing control complexity through material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a critical overview of soft robotic grippers.
To categorize and review different soft gripping technologies based on actuation, controlled stiffness, and controlled adhesion.
To discuss the role of advanced materials and sensor integration in soft gripper design.

Main Methods:

Categorization of soft gripping technologies into three main types: actuation, controlled stiffness, and controlled adhesion.
Review of various material sets, physical principles, and device architectures used in soft grippers.
Discussion of the integration of stretchable distributed sensors within soft grippers.

Main Results:

Soft grippers, utilizing materials like silicone elastomers, shape memory materials, and active polymers, enable lighter, simpler, and more universal grasping solutions.
The inherent functionality of advanced materials simplifies gripper design and enhances performance.
Integration of stretchable sensors significantly improves object interaction capabilities.

Conclusions:

Soft grippers represent a significant advancement in robotic manipulation, offering greater versatility and reduced control complexity.
Continued research in advanced materials, processing methods, and sensing is crucial for overcoming challenges such as miniaturization, robustness, and speed.
Future developments in soft grippers will likely focus on enhanced sensing, improved control, and broader applicability.