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Feline Tongue-Inspired Filiform Microstructure Improving Grasp Performance of Soft Robotic Hands
Wenbiao Wang1, Yan Lin1,2, Jinyuan Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Special Purpose Equipment and Advanced Processing Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China.
Soft Robotics
|December 3, 2025
Summary
Soft robotic grippers achieve enhanced grasping stability using feline tongue-inspired microstructures. These novel fingertips improve grip force and adaptability, offering a scalable solution for soft robotic applications.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Biomimetics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Soft robotic hands require adaptive grasping for stability and damage prevention.
- Surface microstructures significantly influence robotic grasp performance.
- Feline tongues feature filiform papillae (FP) with barbed structures for secure contact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and integrate a feline tongue-inspired filiform microstructure (FTFM) into soft robotic fingertips.
- To enhance grasping ability and stability in soft robotic grippers.
- To investigate the impact of microstructural design on grasping performance.
Main Methods:
- Analyzing feline filiform papillae morphology and arrangement.
- Designing arc-shaped and cross-shaped FTFM arrays.
- Utilizing finite element simulations (Abaqus) for stress and strain analysis.
- Conducting grasping experiments under dry contact conditions.
Main Results:
- Arc-shaped FTFM arrays demonstrated superior elastic adaptability, storing 20-25% more strain energy and showing more uniform stress distribution.
- FTFM-enhanced fingertips improved grasping force by 20-35% compared to smooth-surfaced soft robotic hands (SRH), especially on smoother surfaces.
- FTFM significantly enhanced contact friction and adaptive conformity.
Conclusions:
- The FTFM design offers a novel and scalable strategy for improving soft robotic gripper performance.
- Bioinspired surface microstructures are crucial for advancing soft robotics.
- FTFM enhances grasping by increasing contact points and local deformation, leading to greater stability and force.
