GRASP: Grocery Robot's Adhesion and Suction Picker

We present a solution to the separate challenges faced by suction cups and gecko adhesives for one-sided grasping of heavy, irregular items. The gripping technology combines suction with adhesion for grasping and placing a wide range of objects in packed spaces. Applications include shopping and restocking in retail and warehouse settings where products vary in size and weight and are packed tightly, which limits access. A single suction cup is compact enough to reach and grasp the smallest items (down to 5 cm in size) but cannot provide the shear force needed for handling bulky items. Gecko-inspired adhesion provides extra lifting capability for objects up to 2.3 kg, using a 7.6 × 12.7 cm adhesive swatch −2.5x heavier than with suction alone. The adhesive is fabricated on a flexible nylon fabric. A small fan blows gently to help the fabric conform to irregular surfaces prior to lifting.