This is OctopusGripper, a creepy-looking robotic arm from German industrial automation firm Festo
The OctopusGripper is one of the latest robotics project from Festo, a German industrial automation firm. Read on to find what why such “soft robots” may be the future of industrial automation.
(Image source: Festo)
The OctopusGripper is one of the latest robotics project from Festo, a German industrial automation firm. It is clear as crystal that OctopusGripper is inspired by the tentacle of an octopus. According to Dr. Elias Knubben, head of corporate bionic projects at Festo, who told Digital Trends that OctopusGripper has a “soft pneumatic structure of silicone bends when it is filled with air. Attached to this structure are both active and passive suction cups. Many differently-shaped objects can be grasped thanks to this combination of form-fitting gripping and vacuum adhesion. The bionic tentacles can be fitted to pneumatic robots, and are controlled using the Festo Motion Terminal.”
He was also quick to emphasize the practical aspect of soft robotics where such robots can be deployed relatively uninhibited, to work side by side with humans, in a safe and efficient manner. Digital Trend reported there isn’t a launch date for OctopusGripper as it is currently a showcase project of Festo. OctopusGripper will be showcased next month at Hannover Messe 2017 trade fair in Germany.
(Source: Digital Trends, Festo)
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