KAIST: Robot Capture

2023: Product Announcement

On October 6, 2023, specialists from the Intellectual Robotics Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced the development of a soft and easy grip for robots that can hold loads of up to 100 kg. The product has a braided structure and weighs less than 150 grams.

Scientists say soft grippers made with flexible materials, such as fabric or silicone, are an important element in the design of robots that need to interact with fragile objects. However, existing solutions (as of October 2023) have a number of disadvantages: they are not able to lift heavy objects, and not too reliable grip stability increases the risk of falling a held object. A new development by South Korean researchers circumvents these limitations.

Gripper Operation Diagram

To increase the load capacity of the soft robotic grip, the research team applied a new textile-like structure. The tight weaving of the individual yarns provides a strong material capable of withstanding significant loads. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is used as the starting material for the filaments.

The resulting braided grip weighs 130 grams and can hold objects up to one centner in mass. For comparison: existing grippers with a comparable weight are capable of lifting no more than 20 kg of cargo. Among the other advantages of the proposed technology, the developers call cheapness, ease of manufacture (it takes about 10 minutes to create a grip), ease of service and replacement. It is also noted that it is possible to create grippers through the developed technique not only from PET, but also from other materials, for example, from rubber and various elastic raw materials.^[1]

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