Sticky robot hand inspired by geckos combines delicacy and strength

Mechanical hands with human-like fingers are more adaptable than the simple two-pronged clamps found on industrial robots, but they struggle to match their strength. Now a robotic hand with sticky rubber skin inspired by gecko feet combined the features of both: it can delicately pick up a grape and also lift heavy objects. Geckos' feet are covered in tiny hairs that split into even smaller strands that each create a molecular attraction to the material the animal is climbing on. Mark Cutkosky at Stanford University in California and his colleagues have previously created materials that mimic the way a gecko's foot sticks to smooth surfaces and then used them in robots, some of which are designed to latch on to a satellite's smooth surface in space. Now, Cutkosky and his team have improved the design of their latest gecko-inspired material and applied it to a robot hand. The material evenly spreads the load associated with the object being manipulated, which prevents the object's edges peeling away from the robot hand, which can undermine adhesion.