A glove with artificial suckers inspired by those found on octopuses allows people to securely grip delicate objects underwater, and the technology could be added to robots in future
at Virginia Tech says this ability inspired him to create tiny rubber suckers tipped with flexible membranes that can be activated to create suction and stick to objects.
His team created a wearable glove with a sucker and a micro-LIDAR sensor on each fingertip. The sensor detects the proximity of objects, while a microcontroller triggers the sucker when it is close enough to stick to the object. The prototype simply holds on to an object for a set number of seconds before releasing it, but Bartlett says that a more sophisticated control mechanism could be used so that a robot or human operator could pick up, manipulate and release objects at will.
“The glove was a natural starting point for us. I thought it would be neat to have octopus-like abilities on your hand,” says Bartlett. “But we could also make a [robot] arm which is more like a tentacle – we could actually make it very biomimetic.” Bartlett is keen to stress that suckers will not be a universal approach for all types of robotics, but says that they will offer unique abilities that fit certain applications well. He imagines that they could be used in manufacturing where fragile, wet or smooth objects are involved or even in some areas of healthcare.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UFOs will now be tracked and traced by an official DoD officeThe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has just announced the creation of an office to track unidentified objects in space and air, underwater. This even includes those that appear to travel between these disparate domains.
Read more »
Webb spots new contender for earliest galaxyJust one week after the JWST revealed its first images, a team has used the telescope’s data to find a candidate for the earliest galaxy ever seen, one that existed 13.5 billion years ago.
Read more »
Oz takes gloves off in Pa. Senate race, calls out Fetterman for ‘hiding’After remaining silent for weeks about Democrat John Fetterman's absence from the U.S. Senate campaign as he recuperated from a stroke, Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz's campaign is now going after Fetterman for 'hiding' from voters.
Read more »
Beware the rise of corporate rituals designed to manipulate employeesCompanies are increasingly looking to engender loyalty by tapping into our evolved need to belong. But the emotional costs of bonding sessions and other techniques can be high and the sense of belonging false, warns Jonathan R Goodman
Read more »
Opinion | Texas Dems demonstrate how not to handle a Latina QAnon believerOne Texas Democrat's awful $1,200 idea accidentally boosted his QAnon-promoting Republican opponent.
Read more »
Remember Phoebe Philo’s Kate Bush-Inspired Collection?Before Stranger Things, Phoebe Philo was inspired by Kate Bush for the spring 2015 Celine collection.
Read more »