Scientists have developed an innovative robotic gripper based on the jamming of granular materials.
Fingers were replaced by balloon with ground coffee that, when pressed onto an object, flows around it and conforms to its shape. Upon application of a vacuum, gripper hardens and holds the object.
This project was a collaboration between the University of Chicago, Cornell University, and iRobot Corporation.
Julie
That’s very very very clever
Nov 6th, 2010
rodsampera
That’s thinking out of the box.!!
Nov 6th, 2010
Darrell
*What Julie said
Nov 6th, 2010
James Ward
Yet another reason to invest in iRobot (IRBT), as if the robotics demonstrated in the Gulf during the oil spill wasn’t enough.
Nov 6th, 2010
Steve
THIS Is why i love science :D.. good job boys.
Nov 6th, 2010
jumanicus
this would make a good prosthetic
Nov 6th, 2010
steven
OMG!!!!!!!!!
Nov 7th, 2010
agung
Doraemon hand!! It seems fujiko fujio got the idea first ^_^
Nov 7th, 2010
Juliana
This is very clever especialy for those thst are diasbled
Nov 7th, 2010
The Hooded claw
Not only clever but tasty too. Starbucks Universities science academy doing some fine thinking here.
Nov 7th, 2010
Ben
And this is the first step in inventing Doraemon! his hands! =D now they have to invent his pocket, tail and ears =x
Nov 7th, 2010
James Anzalone
neat!
Nov 7th, 2010
Atavar
Many congratulations, the raw egg was particularly impressive.
Nov 7th, 2010
2LV2
Very Significant!
Nov 8th, 2010
Xuchilbara
Is that a Doraemon’s hand?
I wonder if Fujiko F.Fujio actually seeing this in the future and put it in his manga…
Nov 8th, 2010
jaqi mugo
Awesome post! Imagine the possibilities :D
Nov 8th, 2010
ugh
Wtf is Doraemon
Nov 8th, 2010
Manpreet
I love this!
I really want to touch the squishy part
Very imaginative and clever
Nov 8th, 2010
Stuart Halliday
Nice idea, but it still can’t pick up individual objects and hold onto multiple objects like the human hand did at the start. :-)
Nov 14th, 2010
Jane
Watching the video without sound, kinda just looks like he’s massaging a nutsack.
Dec 2nd, 2010