Design and characterization of a multi-fingered soft pneumatic gripper with embedded suction cups for the agrifood sector

During recent years, soft grippers have emerged as a promising solution for handling delicate agricultural products. The literature underlined how a common actuation system is the pneumatic one. In this context, a multi-fingered low shore silicone-based gripper with enhanced capabilities, i.e., embedded suction cups, is proposed. To this end, a finite element model of a single soft finger was first developed and then compared with the experimental results. The design, simulation and fabrication procedure of the single finger, as well as multiple experimental tests performed on it, to characterize bending behavior, blocked tip forces, suction cups detachment forces, and energy and air consumption, are presented. Then, different configurations are defined by varying the number and the position of the fingers. Finally, validation with grasping tests on three fruits is performed. The results show that the proposed gripper allows the handling of delicate objects, requiring low input pressure that could reduce energy and air consumption.