A bio-inspired strategy inspired by an elephant trunk to grip granules

Abstract

Abstract The utilization of granular materials for transportation purposes has the potential to mitigate superfluous expenditures associated with the transportation process. Nevertheless, granular materials exhibit distinct flowability characteristics under specific circumstances, which can lead to challenges such as instability maintenance, intricate grasping tactics, and reduced efficiency throughout the grasping process. Hence, the grasping pattern of the trunk of the African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) was observed. Drawing inspiration from the aforementioned concept, this paper put forth a compelling approach centered around an air-powered flexible gripper platform comprising four distinct gripping stages. Our objective is to explore the correlation between the quantity of items and the supplementary pressure required to achieve successful gripping, while considering variations in object dimensions. This study has the potential to provide novel insights for enhancing the efficacy of granular material transportation through improved gripping mechanisms.