Development of a preliminary prototype robotic gripper inspired by the tentacles of cuttlefish

Abstract

Soft robotic grippers offer unique advantages when it comes to tasks involving the delicate manipulation of irregular objects with a high degree of shape variability. These advantages stem from the use of inherently compliant soft materials, making them the safer option in many applications. Taking inspiration from biological systems, controlled deformation is “programmed” into a soft gripper through its geometry and materials, as opposed to joints and linkages as in conventional pinch-type grippers. This work outlines the development of such a system, a cable-actuated soft robotic gripper whose prehension is inspired by the tentacles of a cuttlefish. A segmented geometry and tendon-like actuation define the design to replicate the effortless, distributed bending observed in nature. The system development involved material selection, structural design, actuation and transmission design, manufacturing constraints, and the control system design. Through the integration of these elements, this work demonstrates a structured approach to building a soft bioinspired robotic gripper.