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Enabling Tunable Stiffness, Adhesive Grasping, and Interaction-Driven Reconfiguration: A
Haotian Guo1, Hao Wu1, Yanzhe Wang1
1Grasp Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Soft Robotics
|October 6, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel soft gripper combining Fin Ray Effect structures and shape memory polymers. This innovative design enhances load capacity and grasping versatility with minimal actuation for diverse applications.
Area of Science:
- Robotics and Materials Science
- Soft Robotics and Intelligent Materials
Background:
- Soft grippers offer safety and adaptability but struggle with load capacity and grasping range.
- Minimizing actuation while enhancing versatility remains a key challenge in soft gripper design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a versatile soft gripper with reconfigurable morphology.
- To achieve tunable stiffness, adhesive grasping, and interaction-driven reconfiguration using intelligent materials and structural design.
Main Methods:
- Integration of shape memory polymers (SMPs) into Fin Ray Effect (FRE) gripper fingers.
- Utilizing SMPs for adhesive grasping and force modulation via phase transition.
- Leveraging shape-locking capabilities for single-motor reconfiguration and demonstrating new grasping modes.
Main Results:
- The soft gripper demonstrates tunable stiffness, adhesive grasping, and interaction-driven reconfiguration.
- Successfully handles diverse objects, including thin sheets, small nuts, and loads up to 50 times its weight.
- Exhibits versatile reconfiguration and safe grasping in constrained spaces with passive reconfigurability.
Conclusions:
- The proposed soft gripper design balances system simplicity with enhanced versatility.
- Opens new possibilities for soft robotic hands in real-world applications requiring safe and adaptable grasping.
- Demonstrates a novel approach to passive reconfigurable soft grippers through material-structure synergy.
