A new soft robotic gripper in action, developed by a team of UNSW Sydney researchers. | Credit: UNSW Sydney
Nature has inspired engineers at UNSW Sydney to develop a soft fabric robotic gripper that behaves like an elephant’s trunk to grasp, pick up and release objects without breaking them.
The researchers say the versatile technology could be widely applied in sectors where fragile objects are handled, such as agriculture, food and the scientific and resource exploration industries – even for human rescue operations or personal assistive devices.
Dr. Thanh Nho Do, Scientia Lecturer and <a href="https://www.medicalrobotics-lab.com" target="_blank"
