Design of the Single-Axis Deformation Soft Griper Inspired by the Blossoming of the Petunia

Abstract

To simplify the soft gripper structure while improving its gripping range, load capacity, and radial load-carrying capacity, Single-axis Deformation (SD) soft grippers were designed, inspired by the blooming behavior of petunias. Four SD finger structures were designed by analyzing the anatomical structure of petunia petals. The stress concentration resulting from the deformation of the fingers with different structures was analyzed using numerical methods under the same deformation load conditions. To verify the gripping ability of the SD soft gripper, we conducted experiments on opening and closing the SD soft gripper, as well as gripping tests on objects of various shapes and sizes, and also tested its radial load-carrying capacity. The experimental results showed that the opening and closing range of the SD soft gripper is 18–144 mm, the maximum gripping load is 39.4 N, and the radial bending angle is only 2.76° when the radial load is 24 N.