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A Modular Soft Gripper with Enhanced In-Hand Manipulation Capabilities
Carlos Relaño1, Alberto Rodríguez Sanz2, Lisbeth Karina Mena López3
1Engineering department, Public University of Navarre, Campus de Arrosadia s/n, Pamplona, Pamplona, Navarra, 31006, Spain.
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
|July 24, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a novel modular soft robotic gripper with three independently actuated fingers, enabling dexterous in-hand manipulation. The innovative design achieves continuous object rotation without regrasping, enhancing robotic capabilities.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Soft Robotics
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Soft robotic grippers offer safe object handling but struggle with dexterous in-hand manipulation.
- Traditional designs lack degrees of freedom (DoF) for object reorientation, necessitating complex mechanisms or regrasping.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel modular soft robotic gripper for stable grasping and active in-hand manipulation.
- To bridge the gap between grasping and dexterous object reorientation in soft robotic systems.
Main Methods:
- Developed a modular gripper with three independently actuated soft fingers, each with three DoF.
- Integrated asymmetric soft joints with passive geometric blocking for direction-dependent compliance.
- Enabled decoupled bending and spatial reorientation for coordinated finger kinematics.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated robust grasping of diverse objects (size, stiffness) via a unified actuation strategy.
- Successfully performed continuous in-hand object rotation along its axis without releasing grasp.
- Validated the system's ability to extend dexterity beyond purely tendon-driven soft grippers.
Conclusions:
- The proposed modular soft robotic gripper enhances dexterity for in-hand manipulation.
- The design preserves inherent compliance, scalability, and mechanical simplicity of soft grippers.
- This architecture offers a promising solution for advanced robotic manipulation tasks.
