Soft Vortex Gripper for Dexterous Manipulation Using Hand-Like Robots
Luis Sentis, Senior and Ann Majewicz Fey, Senior
AI summary
Problem
Existing robotic fingertips lack versatile adhesion and force modulation, often failing on irregular, porous, or delicate surfaces due to surface dependency and environmental sensitivity.
Approach
The researchers developed a miniaturized soft vortex gripper that combines flexible silicone with rigid nozzles to generate controlled aerodynamic lift, integrating it into a bioinspired robotic hand for adaptable grasping.
Key results
- Square-faced design achieved 0.59 N lifting force at 300 kPa, outperforming tapered and round variants by over 31%
- Successfully extracted individual Jenga blocks from a fully constructed tower without pre-loosening
- Consistently lifted singular playing cards from a deck at 150 kPa without disturbing adjacent cards
- Demonstrated seamless integration of soft aerodynamic actuation with rigid robotic fingertips for precise grasping
Why it matters
Provides a robust, surface-agnostic solution for delicate robotic manipulation, advancing applications in manufacturing, healthcare, and automated handling.
Abstract
Dexterous manipulation remains a constant chal- lenge in robotics, particularly in achieving precise in-hand manipulation, force modulation, and spatial positioning. There have been many attempts at solving these issues, with varying degrees of success. These attempts include friction-enhancing surfaces, gecko-inspired adhesives, electrostatic grippers, and suction-based mechanisms which are limited by surface de- pendency and inadequate adaptability. We propose integrating a soft vortex gripper with rigid nozzles into the fingertips of a hand-like robotic manipulator. This design combines the malleability of soft silicone materials for delicate grasping tasks with the strength of rigid components to maintain consistent vortex formation under pressure load. The integrated grip- per enhances surface friction, enables adhesion to irregular geometries, and provides more precise pressure control. We programmed and mounted the soft vortex gripper onto the fingertip of a robotic hand, which was then installed on a Roboligent OPTIMO 7-DOF robotic arm. We tested square, tapered, and rounded gripping surfaces and found that the square-faced design achieved the highest gripping force of 0.59N at 300 kPa, outperforming others by over 31%. Using the hand- like robotic arm, we tested the embedded soft vortex gripper by extracting Jenga blocks from a fully constructed tower without pre-loosening, and pulling individual playing cards from a deck. The gripper consistently succeeded in removing singular playing cards and was able to both push and pull Jenga blocks from the tower with control and precision. The experimental results support its potential as a tool for enhancing robotic dexterity, delivering consistent results across diverse manipulation tasks.