Gecko Toe Pad-Inspired Robotic Gripper with Rapidly and Precisely Tunable Adhesion

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Gecko-inspired dry adhesives show promise for robotics but lack precise, rapid adhesion control.
• Current artificial grippers struggle with diverse object types (fragile, deformable) and high-speed manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robotic gripper with rapid adhesion switching (<0.5s) mimicking gecko self-peeling.
• To enable precise adhesion modulation for handling varied objects and meeting productivity demands.

Main Methods:

• Mimicking gecko toe pad self-peeling behavior for rapid adhesion switching.
• Integrating a preset peeling angle for active adhesion control and modulation (0-82.77 kPa).
• Conducting systematic experimental and theoretical studies on the self-peeling model.

Main Results:

• The gripper achieves rapid (<0.5s) adhesion switching for grasping and releasing diverse objects.
• Demonstrated reliable manipulation with higher load capacity than stimulus-responsive adhesives.
• Identified crucial parameters influencing self-peeling behavior through theoretical and experimental analysis.

Conclusions:

• The proposed gecko-inspired gripper offers rapid, precise, and controllable adhesion for robotic manipulation.
• It provides a reliable alternative to conventional grippers and stimulus-responsive adhesives.
• This work advances robotic end-effectors, enabling new possibilities in object handling.