Tactile Sensing and Grasping Through Thin-Shell Buckling

Abstract

Tactile Sensing and Grasping Through Thin-Shell Buckling

Soft, hemispherical grippers create new opportunities for blending delicate manipulation with intrinsic tactile sensing. Inspired by deep-sea predatory tunicates, the fluidic hemispherical grippers provide a novel solution to the challenge of universal grasping with a unique sense of touch based on the principles of thin shell buckling. The simple device can passively detect environmental information solely by monitoring its internal fluid pressure, which opens new avenues for designing low-cost soft devices in applications ranging from medical robotics to underwater exploration. For more information, see article number 2300855 by Eleonora Tubaldi and co-workers.