A granular gripper is a device used to hold objects by taking advantage of the phenomenon of Reynold's dilatancy. A membrane containing a granular sample is allowed to deform around the object to be held and then vacuum is used to jam the granular material inside the membrane. This allows to hold the object against external forces since deformation of the granular material is prevented by not allowing the system to increase its volume. The maximum holding force supported by the gripper depends on a number of variables. In this work, we show that in the regime of frictional holding (where the gripper does not interlock with the object), the maximum holding force does not depend on the granular material used to fill the membrane. Results for a variety of granular materials can be collapsed into a single curve if maximum holding force is plotted against the penetration depth achieved. The results suggest that the most important feature in selecting a particular granular material is its deformability to ensure an easy flow during the initial phase of the gripping process. IntroductionThe handling of objects is a regular task in the industry. Holding objects of well defined size, shape and hardness can be done by robotic arms that present a gripper with a matching shape that fits the object to hold (e.g., hooks). Also, magnets can be used with ferromagnetic objects, and suction systems with objects presenting smooth surfaces. However, matching some of the gripping charac-

Granular dampers are passive devices used to attenuate mechanical vibrations. The most common configuration consists in an enclosure, partiallyfilled with particles, attached to the vibrating structure that needs to be damped. The energy is dissipated due to inelastic collisions and friction between the grains and between the grains and the inner walls of the container as the structure vibrates. As a result of the collisions, the mechanical response of the system often results in chaotic motion even if the driving is harmonic. Despite the vibration attenuation achieved, this chaotic response may render the granular damper unsuitable for a range of applications. In this work, we showcase two simple modifications of the enclosure design that are able to mitigate the chaotic response of the granular damper. To this end we use Discrete Element Method simulations of: (a) a granular damper with a conical base, and (b) a granular damper with obstaclesfixed inside the enclosure. We compare results against a standardflat-base enclosure damper. The basic mechanical response of the dampers is characterized by measuring the apparent mass and the loss factor. The suppression of the chaotic response is assessed qualitatively via the phase space diagram.

A granular gripper is a device used to hold objects by taking advantage of the phenomenon of Reynold's dilatancy. A membrane containing a granular sample is allowed to deform around the object to be held and then vacuum is used to jam the granular material inside the membrane. This allows to hold the object against external forces since deformation of the granular material is prevented by not allowing the system to increase its volume. The maximum holding force supported by the gripper depends on a number of variables. In this work, we show that in the regime of frictional holding (where the gripper does not interlock with the object), the maximum holding force does not depend on the granular material used to fill the membrane. Results for a variety of granular materials can be collapsed into a single curve if maximum holding force is plotted against the penetration depth achieved. The results suggest that the most important feature in selecting a particular granular material is its deformability to ensure an easy flow during the initial phase of the gripping process. IntroductionThe handling of objects is a regular task in the industry. Holding objects of well defined size, shape and hardness can be done by robotic arms that present a gripper with a matching shape that fits the object to hold (e.g., hooks). Also, magnets can be used with ferromagnetic objects, and suction systems with objects presenting smooth surfaces. However, matching some of the gripping charac-