Universally grasping objects with granular-tendon finger: principle and design

Nowadays, achieving the stable grasping of objects in robotics requires an increased emphasis on soft interactions. This research introduces a novel gripper design to achieve a more universal object grasping. The key feature of this gripper design was a hybrid mechanism that leveraged the soft structure provided by multiple granular pouches attached to the finger skeletons. To evaluate the performance of the gripper, a series of experiments were conducted using fifteen distinct types of objects, including cylinders, U-shaped brackets, M3 bolts, tape, pyramids, big pyramids, oranges, cakes, coffee sachets, spheres, drink sachets, shelves, pulley gears, aluminium profiles, and flat brackets. Our experimental results demonstrated that our gripper design achieved high success rates in gripping objects weighing less than 210 g. One notable advantage of the granular-tendon gripper was its ability to generate soft interactions during the grasping process while having a skeleton support to provide strength. This characteristic enabled the gripper to adapt effectively to various objects, regardless of their shape and material properties. Consequently, this work presented a promising solution for manipulating a wide range of objects with both stability and soft interaction capabilities, regardless of their individual characteristics.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Published versionThis research is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) under its IAF-ICP Programme I2001E0067 and the Schaeffler Hub for Advanced Research at NTU. Nguyen was fully supported by Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS PD program) and JSPS Kakenhi Grants No. 20J14910