Universal bioinspired adhesives for arbitrary unknown surfaces toward dexterous robotic manipulation

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Dexterous robotic hands struggle with grasping diverse objects using friction.
• Existing gecko-inspired adhesives face challenges with unknown surfaces.
• Need for advanced robotic manipulation solutions for unstructured environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a universal bioinspired adhesive for dexterous robotic manipulation.
• To overcome limitations of conventional grasping methods for varied objects.
• To enhance robotic adaptability and manipulation stability.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a multilayer adhesive with micro mushroom arrays and hierarchical soft pillars.
• Utilizing electric field-induced growth for precise control over morphology and stiffness.
• Integration of the adhesive with a multi-fingered dexterous robot.

Main Results:

• Achieved a tenfold adhesion enhancement on arbitrary surfaces compared to conventional structures.
• Demonstrated stable manipulation of fragile, heavy, irregularly shaped, and rough-textured objects.
• Showcased unprecedented adaptability and operational stability in robotic grasping.

Conclusions:

• The proposed bioinspired adhesive offers superior performance for robotic manipulation.
• This technology significantly expands the range of objects robots can reliably grasp.
• Enables advanced robotic capabilities in unstructured and complex environments.