Soft robotic finger with variable effective length enabled by an antagonistic constraint mechanism

Abstract Compared to traditional rigid robotics, soft robotics has attracted increasing attention due its advantages in compliance, safety, and low cost. As an essential part of the robotic gripper also shows superior while grasping objects with irregular shapes. Recent research been conducted improve performance by adjusting variable effective length (VEL). However, existing VEL function achieved mechanisms such as multi-chamber design or tunable stiffness shape memory material requires a complex pneumatic circuit time-consuming phase-changing process. This work proposes fold-based finger from 3D printing. It is experimentally tested modeled hyperelastic property. Mathematic finite element modeling study bending behaviour proposed actuator. Most importantly, antagonistic constraint mechanism achieve VEL, experiments demonstrate that better conformity achieved. Finally, dual-mode grippers are designed evaluated advances on performance.