Design and Characterization of a New Soft Robotic Gripper

In recent decades, soft robotic grippers have been widely studied for their interesting functionalities and sustainable impact in a lot of scientific and commercial applications. In this scenario, 3D-printed, and economic soft devices are increasingly designed and developed to enhance their performance in terms of precision, robustness, and versatility. This paper presents the design and characterization of a new 3D-printed underactuated soft gripper with four new soft monolithic fingers driven by tendons. The fingers’ characterization is focused on the determination of the stiffness both using theoretical FEM simulations and experimental measurements. Two different materials were considered and studied. In addition, the trajectories of the fingers made in two different materials were experimentally traced and the vertical displacement correlated to the force applied to the tendon. Results of this paper provide an important approach for investigating the mechanical properties of this new type of gripper, considering that 3D-printed components show uncertain characteristics that are affected by the manufacturing process and that the mechanical properties of the fingers affect the kinematic behavior and the grasping performance.