Kirigami robotic grippers are delicate enough to lift egg yolks

Date:
January 26, 2022
Source:
North Carolina State University
Summary:
Engineering researchers have demonstrated a new type of flexible,
robotic grippers that are able to lift delicate egg yolks
without breaking them, and that are precise enough to lift a
human hair. The work has applications for both soft robotics and
biomedical technologies.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Engineering researchers from North Carolina State University have
demonstrated a new type of flexible, robotic grippers that are able
to lift delicate egg yolks without breaking them, and that are precise
enough to lift a human hair.

The work has applications for both soft robotics and biomedical
technologies.


==========================================================================
The work draws on the art of kirigami, which involves both cutting and
folding two-dimensional (2D) sheets of material to form three-dimensional
(3D) shapes.

Specifically, the researchers have developed a new technique that
involves using kirigami to convert 2D sheets into curved 3D structures
by cutting parallel slits across much of the material. The final shape
of the 3D structure is determined in large part by the outer boundary
of the material. For example, a 2D material that has a circular boundary
would form a spherical 3D shape.

"We have defined and demonstrated a model that allows users to work
backwards," says Yaoye Hong, first author of a paper on the work and
a Ph.D. student at NC State. "If users know what sort of curved, 3D
structure they need, they can use our approach to determine the boundary
shape and pattern of slits they need to use in the 2D material. And
additional control of the final structure is made possible by controlling
the direction in which the material is pushed or pulled." "Our technique
is quite a bit simpler than previous techniques for converting 2D
materials into curved 3D structures, and it allows designers to create
a wide variety of customized structures from 2D materials," says Jie
Yin, corresponding author of the paper and an associate professor of
mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State.

The researchers demonstrated the utility of their technique by creating grippers capable of grabbing and lifting objects ranging from egg yolks
to a human hair.

"We've shown that our technique can be used to create tools capable of
grasping and moving even extremely fragile objects," Yin says.

"Conventional grippers grasp an object firmly -- they grab things
by putting pressure on them," Yin says. "That can pose problems when
attempting to grip fragile objects, such as egg yolks. But our grippers essentially surround an object and then lift it -- similar to the way
we cup our hands around an object. This allows us to 'grip' and move
even delicate objects, without sacrificing precision." However, the researchers note that there are a host of other potential applications,
such as using the technique to design biomedical technologies that
conform to the shape of a joint -- like the human knee.

"Think of smart bandages or monitoring devices capable of bending and
moving with your knee or elbow," Yin says.

"This is proof-of-concept work that shows our technique works," Yin says.

"We're now in the process of integrating this technique into soft robotics technologies to address industrial challenges. We are also exploring
how this technique could be used to create devices that could be used to
apply warmth to the human knee, which would have therapeutic applications.

"We're open to working with industry partners to explore additional applications and to find ways to move this approach from the lab
into practical use." Video of the technology can be found at https://youtu.be/1oEXhKBoYc8.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Matt Shipman. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* Flexible,_robotic_grippers ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Yaoye Hong, Yinding Chi, Shuang Wu, Yanbin Li, Yong Zhu, Jie Yin.

Boundary curvature guided programmable shape-morphing kirigami
sheets.

Nature Communications, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28187-x ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220126090517.htm

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