The article presents a new type of soft continuum robot called SCoReS, which can continuously control its curvature at the segment level. Unlike previous designs that require external forces or machine elements, SCoReS is adaptive in constrained environments, similar to natural organisms like an elephant’s trunk or ostrich’s neck. The robot uses micro-particle granular jamming for the first time to create variable stiffness and curvature. The design, modeling, and experimental validation of the robot are detailed in the article. The robot’s versatile bending profiles are explored in experiments, and its application to grasp fruits at different configurations is demonstrated.
Publication date: 3 Jan 2024
Project Page: https://youtu.be/H6SCK0NjGpE
Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2401.01739
