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Octopus-inspired adhesive skins for intelligent and rapidly switchable underwater adhesion
Sean T Frey1, A B M Tahidul Haque2, Ravi Tutika2,3
1Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
Science Advances
|July 20, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed octopus-inspired adhesives with integrated sensing and control for underwater object manipulation. These advanced adhesives offer rapid, reliable switching and adaptable adhesion for diverse surfaces, enabling autonomous robotic grasping.
Area of Science:
- Biomimetics and Robotics
- Materials Science and Engineering
Background:
- Current synthetic manipulators lack integrated sensing and control, limiting underwater object manipulation capabilities.
- Existing adhesives often exhibit slow activation/release times and limited adaptability to non-ideal surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop switchable, octopus-inspired adhesives with embedded sensing, processing, and control for robust underwater manipulation.
- To overcome limitations of current synthetic adhesives in terms of speed, control, and adaptability.
Main Methods:
- Coupling switchable adhesives with an actively controlled membrane for rapid adhesion strength switching (>450× in <50 ms).
- Designing adhesive geometry for adherence to non-ideal surfaces with low preload and independent control of strength and toughness.
- Implementing a bio-inspired nervous system for object detection and autonomous adhesive triggering.
Main Results:
- Achieved rapid and reversible adhesion switching over many cycles.
- Demonstrated reliable adherence to diverse, non-ideal underwater surfaces.
- Successfully integrated sensing, processing, and control into a wearable glove for autonomous manipulation.
Conclusions:
- The developed biomimetic adhesive skin offers a novel solution for autonomous underwater object manipulation.
- This technology advances robotic grasping by mimicking the octopus's sophisticated manipulation strategies.
- The system shows potential for applications requiring dexterous underwater interaction and manipulation.
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