Inspired by the way they grasp objects, the Army is developing self-sealing suction cups for robots — just like those on an octopus.
The design, from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center and University of Maryland scientists, features a self-sealing component and the capability to activate suction cups in reaction to the size and shape of the object the robot wants to pick up.
For more than five decades, researchers have been honing suction technology for robots. This team hopes that their approach goes beyond previous achievements that are often limited in terms of the specific size and shapes that are graspable.
Manipulating unknown objects is difficult for robots; self-sealing suction cups could make it an easier task — and boost the deployment of robots into dangerous environments instead of human first responders.
Read also:
Robot Octopus Developed By Army (Ubergizmo)
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