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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles

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Published on: February 4, 2013

MELEGROS: Monolithic Elephant-Inspired Gripper with Optical Sensors.

Petr Trunin^1,2, Diana Cafiso¹, Anderson Brazil Nardin¹

¹Soft BioRobotics Perception, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy.

Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)

|February 2, 2026

Summary

Inspired by elephant trunks, MELEGROS is a novel soft robotic gripper. This monolithic design integrates optical sensors and pneumatic actuation in a single 3D print, enabling versatile manipulation and sensing.

Keywords:

bioinspiration monolithic pneumatic actuation simulation of architected structures soft optical sensors supportless 3D printing triply periodic minimal surface

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Bio-inspired Engineering
Soft Materials

Background:

Elephant trunks serve as a model for integrated grippers, combining structure, actuation, and sensing.
Existing soft grippers often involve complex multi-material fabrication or tendon systems, leading to mechanical mismatches.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop MELEGROS, a Monolithic ELEphant-inspired GRipper with Optical Sensors.
To demonstrate sensing as an intrinsic, co-fabricated capability in soft robotics.
To create a soft gripper with enhanced manipulation and perception abilities.

Main Methods:

Utilized a single soft resin and continuous 3D printing to create a monolithic lattice structure.
Integrated six optical waveguide sensors and five pneumatic chambers directly into the gripper structure.
Employed pneumatic actuation for elongation, compression, and bending capabilities.

Main Results:

MELEGROS (132 g) achieved monolithic fabrication with integrated sensing and actuation.
The gripper demonstrated versatile manipulation, including lifting twice its weight, pinching, scooping, reaching, and grasping fragile objects.
Integrated optical sensors provided distinct tactile and proprioceptive feedback, enabling multifunctional perception.

Conclusions:

MELEGROS represents a new paradigm in soft robotics, showcasing the potential of fully embedded sensing and continuous structures.
The monolithic design eliminates mechanical mismatches, simplifying control and simulation.
This approach enables versatile, bio-inspired manipulation with inherent sensing capabilities.