Active entanglement enables stochastic, topological grasping
Abstract
Grasping, in both biological and engineered mechanisms, can be highly sensitive to the gripper and object morphology, as well as perception and motion planning. Here, we circumvent the need for feedback or precise planning by using an array of fluidically actuated slender hollow elastomeric filaments to actively entangle with objects that vary in geometric and topological complexity. The resulting stochastic interactions enable a unique soft and conformable grasping strategy across a range of target objects that vary in size, weight, and shape. We experimentally evaluate the grasping performance of our strategy and use a computational framework for the collective mechanics of flexible filaments in contact with complex objects to explain our findings. Overall, our study highlights how active collective entanglement of a filament array via an uncontrolled, spatially distributed scheme provides options for soft, adaptable grasping.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 10, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2209819119
Entities
People
- Clark Teeple
- Daniel Baum
- James C. Weaver
- Kaitlyn P Becker
- Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan
- Nicholas Charles
- Robert J Wood
- Yeonsu Jung
Organizations
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research
- Simons Foundation
- Zuse Institute Berlin