1. Gripper that grasps autonomously.
Gripper that grasps autonomously. (A) The gripper consists of five bending actuators, connected to a ring-shaped channel, around a soft, bistable valve. When the membrane in the valve is in its downward position, the pressure supply to the ring channel (PS) is blocked, and it is connected to the atmosphere. A second pressure supply (P+) leads to the bottom chamber of the valve and out through the contact sensor at the palm of the hand. The top chamber can be connected through an external valve to the atmosphere or the pressure supply PS. (B) Equivalent electrical circuit that represents the pneumatic control in the autonomous gripper. (C to H) Photographs of the gripper and schematics of the valve autonomously (C to E) closing around a tennis ball and (F to H) releasing the ball (movies S2 and S3).
Philipp Rothemund et al. Sci. Robotics 2018;3:eaar7986
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