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Published on: August 2, 2016
Rotational-pinch-inspired method and soft gripper for layer-by-layer fabric separation
Yuxi Feng1, Liuwei Wang2, Ruizhuo Shi1
1College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, People's Republic of China.
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
|May 12, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a novel gripper for automated fabric layer separation in garment manufacturing. The rotational-pinch method achieves over 96.7% success in nondestructive fabric layer detachment.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Textile Manufacturing
- Materials Science
Background:
- Automating layer-by-layer fabric separation is challenging due to textile deformability.
- Current methods struggle to isolate top layers without disturbing adjacent ones, hindering garment manufacturing efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an automated method for layer-by-layer fabric separation.
- To design a soft pneumatic gripper mimicking human finger actions for precise fabric manipulation.
Main Methods:
- A rotational-pinch-inspired grasping method using a soft pneumatic gripper.
- Integration of pneumatic actuation and mechanical torsion to control fingertip parameters (opening distance, normal force, rotation angle).
- Mechanical analysis to correlate parameters with shear deformation and interlayer detachment.
Main Results:
- The gripper successfully enabled nondestructive, continuous, and stable fabric layer separation.
- Achieved success rates exceeding 96.7% across six diverse garment fabrics.
- Demonstrated adaptability to different stacking layers and grasping positions.
Conclusions:
- The proposed grasping method and soft gripper offer a reliable solution for automated fabric layer separation.
- This innovation supports the advancement of efficient, precise, and intelligent garment manufacturing processes.
