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Published on: August 2, 2016
Fin-Ray soft gripper for object manipulation with multi-robot systems
Santiago Velasquez1, Alejandro Toro-Ossaba1, Daniel Sanin-Villa2
1Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Research Group (IAR), Universidad EIA, Envigado, 055428, Colombia.
Hardwarex
|July 28, 2026
Summary
This study introduces an open-source soft robotic gripper with integrated force feedback for multi-robot systems. The affordable and reproducible gripper enhances cooperative manipulation of fragile objects.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Soft Robotics
- Mechatronics
Background:
- Soft robotic grippers offer advantages in cooperative object transport, such as error tolerance and reduced damage risk.
- Existing Fin-Ray effect grippers often lack force feedback, require manual tuning, and are not open-source, hindering research and education.
- This limits the widespread adoption of soft grippers in multi-robot systems and teaching platforms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, fabricate, and validate an open-source Fin-Ray soft gripper for mobile robot manipulation.
- To integrate a real-time force-sensing and control system into the soft gripper.
- To provide a low-cost, reproducible end-effector for cooperative manipulation research.
Main Methods:
- Developed 3D-printed TPU fingers optimized using finite element analysis.
- Integrated a thin-film piezo-resistive force sensor for feedback.
- Implemented an STM32-based proportional controller for real-time force regulation.
- Released all hardware designs, firmware, and control software as open-source files.
Main Results:
- The force sensor achieved 70.8% average accuracy over 0.1 N to 5 N, with high repeatability (1.10% CV).
- Closed-loop tests demonstrated convergence to a 0.981 N force setpoint with minimal steady-state error.
- Dynamic tests showed effective compensation for external perturbations.
- Average current consumption was ~250 mA during regulation, with 1 A peaks during disturbance rejection.
Conclusions:
- The developed open-source soft gripper is a cost-effective and reproducible solution for cooperative manipulation in multi-robot systems.
- The integrated force feedback and control system enable precise and safe handling of objects, including fragile items.
- The open-source nature facilitates adoption in research and educational settings, promoting further development in soft robotics.
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