Origami robotic gripper

Photo: MIT CSAIL

A recent innovation by a team at MIT is a robotic gripper that can grasp both delicate and heavy objects. The article on MIT's information website includes a short process description, as well as vocabulary to describe advantages and disadvantages. Included on the side of the webpage is a list of Press Mentions, in which students can compare the information and the focus of interest. For example, some articles focus on the technology involved, others focus on the uses for this gripper, and one focuses on its commercial impact. In addition, there is a short video (1:57) showing the gripper in use. There is no narration, but there are short texts in various screen shots.

Link to article: https://news.mit.edu/2019/new-robot-hand-gripper-soft-and-strong-0315

The description of advantages and disadvantages are sometimes listed in direct contrast. For example:

• Ball-shaped grippers, for example, can handle a wider range of objects than fingers, but still have the issue of limited angles. Softer robotic fingers typically use compressed air, but aren't strong enough to pick up heavier objects.

There are phrases and intensifiers added for emphasis, which would be useful for students to notice so they can see how they are used. The addition of these terms makes a difference to the information given:

• ...this task remains difficult for machines with rigid hands
• They tend to work only in structured environments ... and typically can't cope with ...
• ...but they're still unable to handle large or heavy items.
• ...a new gripper that's both soft and strong
• ...to pick up items that are as much as 100 times its weight
• This motion lets the gripper grasp a much wider range of objects -- such as soup cans, hammers, wine glasses, drones, and even a single broccoli floret.
• Previous approaches to the packing problem could only handle very limited classes of objects
• ...but still have the issue of limited angles
• ...but aren't strong enough to pick up heavier objects

My favorite part of the article is two sentences that use many terms that relate to "hand," including idiomatic expressions:

• In recent years, though, roboticists have come to grips with this problem by making fingers out of soft, flexible materials like rubber. This pliability lets these soft robots pick up anything from grapes to boxes and empty water bottles, but they're still unable to handle large or heavy items. To give these soft robots a bit of a hand, researchers from MIT and Harvard University have developed a new gripper ...

Students might be able to think of other idioms or expressions in English that use the word "hand" or "grip":

• have your hands full
• get out of hand
• try your hand at
• wash your hands of
• change hands
• be in good hands
• get a grip on
• lose your grip
• etc.