2nd Summary Draft

Draft Summary for Soft Robotic Gripper

The article “This Soft Robotic Gripper Can Screw in Your Light Bulbs for You” (2017) introduces a new robotic gripper along with its design and functionalities. Developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego, the three-finger gripper can lift and manipulate objects without visualization and training, enabling operations in dimmed and poor visibility. The article mentions each finger consists of three “pneumatic chambers”, providing the gripper various degrees of freedom. The movement of “pneumatic chambers” when air pressure is exerted allows the manipulation of objects. The fingers are overlaid with a “smart, sensing skin” manufactured with “silicone rubber”, implanted with sensors constructed of “carbon nanotubes”. As the fingers contract, the conductivity of the nanotubes varies, granting the skin recording and identification capabilities when the fingers are near an object. A control board houses the data generated by the sensors, gathering information to form a 3D model of the manipulated object. The article states future improvements including “machine learning” and “artificial intelligence”, as well as “3D printing” for increase durability of gripper’s fingers.