Under-actuated Gripper Developed for Capturing Challenging Objects

Capturing arbitrary shape and challenging objects remains difficult for robots. Researchers at UC San Diego Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab have come up with a new approach to tackle this problem. Their highly under-actuated gripper uses a “gecko-inspired adhesive to provide an adhesion-controlled friction that helps stabilize the gripper and improves grasp performance without the need of large normal forces. The under-actuated linkages conform around arbitrary shapes.”

This gripper is capable of holding over 30N and has two 65cm tendon driven linkages.

[credit: Paul Glick, Nikko Van Crey, Michael T. Tolley, and Donald Ruffatto III]