Robo-octopus gripper goes limp to grapple, stiffens to lift

Robo-octopus gripper goes limp to grapple, stiffens to lift

Countless industrial tools and robots need to grip things, and because we humans learn to grip since infancy, we can easily underestimate how complex gripping actually is. If our grip is too rigid, we can snap or shatter our payload; if our grip is too soft, our payload may slip from our fingers or exceed lift capacity. Human hands have advantages: rigid bones covered in pliable skin and muscles. So, what’s a poor mechanism to do when it simply …