Multibioinspired Soft Grasping Actuators with Laser-Induced Multiscale Microstructures

Abstract

Soft robotics has been widely adopted in numerous applications of soft grippers, which utilize compliance to achieve superior grasping performances with excellent simplicity, adaptability, and robustness. The critical concerns for soft grippers are insufficient grasping ability and the limitation of functions. Herein, a multibionic soft gripper with multiscale microstructures is demonstrated, featuring light weight (12 mg), versatility, and endurance to heavy dust. The multibionic gripper mimics the grasping structure of eagle claws, the friction-increasing structure of gecko feet, and the shining structural color on butterfly wings. External laser stimuli allow the grasping of various objects and precise measurement of the target sizes. The soft actuator realizes a systematic bionic function rather than a single bionic function, providing new possibilities for miniaturization, environmental adaptation, and multifunctionality of grasping actuators.

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