Soft Mechatronics

Yamagishi, K., Zhou, W., Ching, T., Huang, S. Y., Hashimoto, M., Ultra-Deformable and Tissue-Adhesive Liquid Metal Antennas with High Wireless Powering Efficiency. Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2008062. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202008062 Abstract Flexible and stretchable antennas are important for wireless communication using wearable and implantable devices to address mechanical mismatch at the tissue–device interface. Emerging technologies of liquid-metal-based [...]

Abstract: This study describes the enhancement of a vacuum actuated soft gripper's grasping capabilities using retractable finger nails and an active re-configurable palm. The finger nail mechanism is pneumatically actuated and enables the gripper to perform complex grasping and manipulation tasks with high repeatability. The retracted nails can exert normal grasping forces of up [...]

Traditional grippers used in industrial automation are designed for specific tasks and their mechanisms are composed primarily of stiff components. These systems tend to be expensive, heavy, bulky, and not easily adaptable to a wide variety of object shapes, sizes, and compliances. New industrial applications increasingly involve a wider range of parts to be grasped, [...]