Fractal fingers could let robots securely grasp any shape

A robotic gripper inspired by a patent from 1913 consists of a nested arrangement of pivoting joints that can wrap around odd shapes using a single motor. Researchers at Caltech redesigned the mechanism to do away with the curved dovetail joints of the original, which would clog with detritus and require regular maintenance. They 3D printed the entire mechanism in one go using a combination of rigid and flexible plastics, and topped each “fingertip” with two soft domes to provide friction. The fractal vice can give robots a third hand for oddball shapes Learn more ➤ Subscribe ➤ Get more from New Scientist: Official website: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: LinkedIn: About New Scientist: New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human. New Scientist