Controllable load sharing for soft adhesive interfaces on three-dimensional surfaces
Abstract
In transfer printing, robotics, and precision manufacturing, adhesion-controlled grasping of complex 3D surfaces is very challenging because the adhesive must be soft enough to enable intimate contact under light pressure but stiff enough to support high load and fracture strength. We address this dilemma by replacing the adhesive with a pressurized microfiber array that enables independent control of 3D conformability and bond strength. This architecture exhibits enhanced and robust adhesion on various sizes of 3D and deformable surfaces. In contrast to other microfiber adhesives, it has the area scalability of the natural gecko footpad. These features suggest that the proposed soft-gripping system can outperform conventional adhesive systems for a broad range of surface shapes and length scales.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 15, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1620344114
Entities
People
- Carmel Majidi
- Dirk-michael Drotlef
- Metin Sitti
- Sukho Song
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
- Office of Naval Research