An Adaptive Contoured Soft Gripping Actuator for Chemical Experimental Glassware

In order to fulfill the demand for safe and accurate grasping of chemical experimental instruments, this research proposes an adaptive contoured soft gripping actuator for chemical experimental glassware, which was experimentally verified. Firstly, the soft gripping actuator was designed in three layers: extensible layer, restrictive layer, and pressure sensor. Secondly, the pressure sensor was integrated into the soft gripping actuator to change the state of the extensible layer by receiving gas in the gas chambers. This change creates a stress difference that causes a pressure change in the soft gripping actuator. The PID closed-loop control of air pressure-soft gripping actuator pressure was accomplished by measuring the relationship between air pressure and soft gripping actuator pressure. Finally, the experimental platform of the system was built, and the gripping experimental device of the soft gripping actuator was analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed design scheme.