Soft Robotics for Advanced Handling of Delicate Fruit Products

Luan Lang, Rodrigo Antunes, Rodrigo Antunes, Martim Lima de Aguiar, Martim Lima de Aguiar, Nuno Pereira, Nuno Pereira, Thiago Assis Dutra, Thiago Assis Dutra, Yebo Lu, Pedro Dinis Gaspar, Pedro Dinis Gaspar

2025

Abstract

Soft robotic grippers can be an effective tool for handling sensitive and irregularly shaped objects, such as horticultural products. This study evaluates three soft gripper designs-Straight, Constant Curve, and Beak-fabricated using Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) with shore hardness 60A and 95A. The grippers were produced using a 3D printer and tested on a universal testing machine to assess mechanical performance. Practical tests revealed that the Beak gripper made with TPU 60A exhibited superior performance, achieving a peak force of 10.59 N at a displacement of 21.65 mm, making it suitable for delicate tasks like handling fruits, without causing damage. In contrast, grippers made with TPU 95A, while possessing higher force capacities, were excessively rigid and risked damaging delicate items. The study shows the importance of material selection and gripper design in optimizing performance for specific applications. The findings validate simulation data and indicate that TPU 60A is more appropriate for applications requiring gentle handling. Future work includes testing with objects of varying shapes, conducting fatigue tests, and exploring multi-material gripper designs with embedded sensing capabilities to enhance adaptability and control during use.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Lang L., Antunes R., Lima de Aguiar M., Pereira N., Assis Dutra T., Lu Y. and Gaspar P. (2025). Soft Robotics for Advanced Handling of Delicate Fruit Products. In Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 2: COBOTA; ISBN 978-989-758-770-2, SciTePress, pages 569-576. DOI: 10.5220/0013928800003982

in Bibtex Style

@conference{cobota25,
author={Luan Lang and Rodrigo Antunes and Martim Lima de Aguiar and Nuno Pereira and Thiago Assis Dutra and Yebo Lu and Pedro Gaspar},
title={Soft Robotics for Advanced Handling of Delicate Fruit Products},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 2: COBOTA},
year={2025},
pages={569-576},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013928800003982},
isbn={978-989-758-770-2},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 2: COBOTA
TI - Soft Robotics for Advanced Handling of Delicate Fruit Products
SN - 978-989-758-770-2
AU - Lang L.
AU - Antunes R.
AU - Lima de Aguiar M.
AU - Pereira N.
AU - Assis Dutra T.
AU - Lu Y.
AU - Gaspar P.
PY - 2025
SP - 569
EP - 576
DO - 10.5220/0013928800003982
PB - SciTePress