Innovative development of a soft robotic gripper: mathematical modeling and grasping capability analysis

Abstract

Grasping or gripping is essential for both humans and robots. Soft and flexible grippers have been the focus of recent research due to their safe interaction with objects. However, most soft grippers rely on complex mechanisms or complicated structures, leading to challenging fabrication and modeling. Furthermore, there is a lack of mathematical models to estimate curvature shape, analyze gripping capacity, and stability under dynamic motion. To address these challenges, this study presents an innovative soft-fingered gripper design with an asymmetric tube that has a variable cross-section, providing a simple yet effective solution for gripping tasks. The proposed mathematical modeling and solutions were successfully developed and experimentally validated to analyze the effects of the robot arm's motion on the gripping capability of the gripper. Specifically, the mathematical modelling considers the effect of forces/moments imposing on the gripping mechanism of soft fingers, including the contact forces between the soft fingers and gripping objects. The proposed mathematical modeling and simulations can be used to analyze the deformation, gripping manipulations, and grasping capability of the soft-fingered grippers. This innovation represents an improvement over existing designs and has the potential to enhance the design and efficient performance of soft robotic grippers.