Prosthetic arms and hands are nothing new. However, even with the most advanced designs, gripping and holding objects has remained a difficult task. Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Chicago have developed a universal gripper, a balloon-like device filled with ground coffee, that when pressed onto an object, conforms to its shape. Vacuum that is applied ensures the gripper holds onto the object without requiring force-feedback. This is in contrast with traditional hand-like designs which require complex software and hardware to grip objects securely without crushing them. The results have been published in this month’s PNAS. See the video below for a demonstration of the gripper’s capabilities:
Sources: Cornell University, The University of Chicago
Article abstract: Universal robotic gripper based on the jamming of granular material…
(hat tip: Engadget)