Here is a soft but strong origami robot hand that can handle objects of various sizes and shapes. Researchers from MIT and Harvard developed this gripper with a cone-shaped origami structure that collapses in on objects. It can pick up items that are 100 times its weight.
This gripper allows robots to handle soup cans, hammers, wine glasses, drones, food items, and everything in between. As the researchers explain:
The gripper has three parts: the origami-based skeleton structure, the airtight skin to encase the structure, and the connector. The team created it using a mechanical rubber mold and a special heat-shrinking plastic that self-folds at high temperatures. Cone-shaped, hollow, and vacuum-powered, the device was inspired by the “origami magic ball” and can envelope an entire object and successfully pick it up.
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