Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) have introduced a soft robotic gripper, ROtation-based Squeezing grippEr (ROSE), designed to enhance efficiency in crop harvesting. The development, led by Associate Professor Van Anh Ho and his team, addresses the limitations of conventional robotic grippers, which struggle with the diverse shapes and delicate nature of crops.
ROSE is composed of a cup-shaped chamber with two thin elastomer layers. When the inner layer rotates, a unique “wrinkling” phenomenon occurs, shrinking the central space to enable the gripper to gently grasp objects of varying shapes, sizes, and textures. This mechanism eliminates the need for complex control and planning models typically required in soft robotic systems, simplifying its application in agricultural environments.
The research team employed simulation models to optimize ROSE’s design, revealing that varying the skin thickness and adjusting the ratio between the gripper’s diameter and height significantly improved its performance. ROSE demonstrated its capability in several agricultural trials, successfully harvesting strawberries and mushrooms without damaging them, indicating its potential to handle both stiff and soft crops.
This innovation highlights the potential of ROSE to improve harvesting efficiency and address labor shortages in agriculture, especially in regions facing population aging.
Credit: Van Anh Ho from JAIST
