Project Title:

This project challenges the current abilities of soft robotics in the realm of dexterity and autonomous interaction. A prosthetic device was added to the KUKA arm which could interact with a common object. The ball presented a unique challenge in that it formally offers no clues as to how it should be handled. We found it best to mimic one of the few devices equipped to deal with spherical objects - the hand. The silicone robot deforms with linear curvature in a radial pattern to simulate fingers' grip strength, while specific patterning in the "palm" maximizes frictional grip.

Incorporated into the prosthetic device on the KUKA is not only its mechanical and electrical housing, but also its method of understanding the situation - its robotic vision. A Pixy camera uses color recognition to find and focus on the ball, detecting its distance and location. When the ball is in position relative to the camera, the soft robotic gripper knows to contract or release, thus creating an intelligent system of interaction between the robotic arm and the object.

Soft Robotics was done in collaboration with Erik Broberg, Nick Bruni, and Junzhishan Zhu.