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]