Related papers: Fractal Gripper: Adaptive manipulator with mode sw…
Monitoring the state of contact is essential for robotic devices, especially grippers that implement gecko-inspired adhesives where intimate contact is crucial for a firm attachment. However, due to the lack of deformable sensors, few have…
Object reorientation is a critical task for robotic grippers, especially when manipulating objects within constrained environments. The task poses significant challenges for motion planning due to the high-dimensional output actions with…
Robotic grippers with visuotactile sensors have access to rich tactile information for grasping tasks but encounter difficulty in partially encompassing large objects with sufficient grip force. While hierarchical gecko-inspired adhesives…
Ants are highly capable of grasping objects in clutter, and we have recently observed that this involves substantial use of their forelegs. The forelegs, more specifically the tarsi, have high friction microstructures (setal pads), are…
This paper aims to improve robots' versatility and adaptability by allowing them to use a large variety of end-effector tools and quickly adapt to new tools. We propose AdaGrasp, a method to learn a single grasping policy that generalizes…
A simple gripper can solve more complex manipulation tasks if it can utilize the external environment such as pushing the object against the table or a vertical wall, known as "Extrinsic Dexterity." Previous work in extrinsic dexterity…
Achieving human-like dexterity in robotic grippers remains an open challenge, particularly in ensuring robust manipulation in uncertain environments. Soft robotic hands try to address this by leveraging passive compliance, a characteristic…
Achieving robust grasping with dexterous hands remains challenging, especially when manipulation involves dynamic forces such as impacts, torques, and continuous resistance--situations common in real-world tool use. Existing methods largely…
Manipulating fragile objects in environments such as homes and factories requires stable and gentle grasping along with precise and safe placement. Compared to traditional rigid grippers, the use of soft grippers reduces the control…
Object grasping is an important ability required for various robot tasks. In particular, tasks that require precise force adjustments during operation, such as grasping an unknown object or using a grasped tool, are difficult for humans to…
A robust grip is key to successful manipulation and joining of work pieces involved in any industrial assembly process. Stability of a grip depends on geometric and physical properties of the object as well as the gripper itself. Current…
Developing robotic manipulation policies is iterative and hypothesis-driven: researchers test tactile sensing, gripper geometries, and sensor placements through real-world data collection and training. Yet even minor end-effector changes…
Object manipulation in robotics faces challenges due to diverse object shapes, sizes, and fragility. Gripper-based methods offer precision and low degrees of freedom (DOF) but the gripper limits the kind of objects to grasp. On the other…
This paper develops model-based grasp planning algorithms for assembly tasks. It focuses on industrial end-effectors like grippers and suction cups, and plans grasp configurations considering CAD models of target objects. The developed…
Robotic hands offer advanced manipulation capabilities, while their complexity and cost often limit their real-world applications. In contrast, simple parallel grippers, though affordable, are restricted to basic tasks like pick-and-place.…
The hand is one of the most complex and important parts of the human body. The dexterity provided by its multiple degrees of freedom enables us to perform many of the tasks of daily living which involve grasping and manipulating objects of…
Warehouse robotic systems equipped with vacuum grippers must reliably grasp a diverse range of objects from densely packed shelves. However, these environments present significant challenges, including occlusions, diverse object…
This paper proposes a new variable stiffness soft gripper that enables high-performance grasping tasks in industrial applications. The design of the proposed monolithic soft gripper includes a middle bellow and two side bellows (i.e.,…
Handling fragile objects remains a major challenge for robotic manipulation. Tactile sensing and soft robotics can improve delicate object handling, but typically involve high integration complexity or slow response times. We address these…
This paper presents a shear-based control scheme for grasping and manipulating delicate objects with a Pisa/IIT anthropomorphic SoftHand equipped with soft biomimetic tactile sensors on all five fingertips. These `microTac' tactile sensors…