Bio-inspired multimodal soft grippers: a review.

Journal: Bioinspiration & biomimetics
PMID: 40294636

Abstract

In nature, organisms have evolved diverse grasping mechanisms to perform vital functions such as hunting and self-defence. These time-tested biological structures, including the arms of octopuses and the trunks of elephants, offer valuable inspiration for designing multimodal soft grippers that can tackle diverse tasks in various environments. Similar to their biological counterparts, these grippers must adapt to dynamic working conditions to enhance their performance. This adaptation process involves multiple factors, including grasping mechanisms, structural design, materials, and application scenarios, with biomimetic strategies offering numerous innovative examples. Despite the significant potential of bio-inspired designs, it lacks comprehensive reviews that explore how these strategies can enhance the development of multimodal soft grippers. This review seeks to address this gap by providing a systematic review of how bioinspired approaches contribute to the advancement of multimodal grippers. It focuses on coupling strategies, integration methods, performance improvements, and application scenarios. Finally, the review explores how future biomimetic insights could address current challenges and further improve the functionality of multimodal grippers.

Authors

  • Minshi Liang
    State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, People's Republic of China.
  • Jiaqi Zhu
    State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
  • Xingxing Ke
    School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
  • Zhiping Chai
    State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
  • Han Ding
    State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
  • Zhigang Wu
    State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.

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