Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University have created a robotic gripper capable of snaking around and lifting a variety of objects, such as a glass vase and a watermelon while a larger version of the robot-tendrils can also safely lift a human out of bed.
According to its developers, the new bot features a pressurized box from which long, vine-like tubes inflate and grow. While extending, the vines will twist and coil around the object to be lifted before returning to the box. There, they are automatically clamped in place and mechanically wound back, gently lifting the object in a sling-like grasp.
Source: Kentaro Barhydt and Harry Asada
In addition to safely and stably lifting a variety of heavy and fragile objects, the robot can squeeze through tight quarters and push through clutter to reach and then grasp a desired object.
The team suggests that the robot gripper might be used in a variety of scenarios ranging from agricultural harvesting to loading and unloading heavy cargo. For the larger version, the team envisions using the robot in eldercare settings, wherein the soft inflatable robotic vines might gently lift a person out of bed.
"Transferring a person out of bed is one of the most physically strenuous tasks that a caregiver carries out," the researchers noted. "This kind of robot can help relieve the caretaker, and can be gentler and more comfortable for the patient."
Enabling the vine-inspired robots to grow outward from their tips are thin yet sturdy pneumatic tubes that grow and inflate with controlled air pressure. As they extend, the tubes twist, bend and snake through the environment and squeeze through tight and cluttered spaces.
An article detailing the vine-like robot, “Loop closure grasping: Topological transformations enable strong, gentle, and versatile grasps,” appears in the journal Science Advances.
For more on the vine-like robot, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of MIT and Stanford University.
