Minimal Footprint Grasping Inspired by Ants

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-cost, bio-inspired gripper mimicking ant forelegs, demonstrating high robustness and effectiveness in grasping diverse objects and clutter, advancing robotic grasping technology.

Contribution

The study presents a novel, simplified gripper design inspired by ant tarsi, highlighting the functional benefits of hairy structures and flexible tips for robust grasping.

Findings

Achieved 100% success rate in grasping various objects

Effective in cluttered environments for single-object picking

Demonstrated robustness and versatility of the bio-inspired design

Abstract

Ants are highly capable of grasping objects in clutter, and we have recently observed that this involves substantial use of their forelegs. The forelegs, more specifically the tarsi, have high friction microstructures (setal pads), are covered in hairs, and have a flexible under-actuated tip. Here we abstract these features to test their functional advantages for a novel low-cost gripper design, suitable for bin-picking applications. In our implementation, the gripper legs are long and slim, with high friction gripping pads, low friction hairs and single-segment tarsus-like structure to mimic the insect's setal pads, hairs, and the tarsi's interactive compliance. Experimental evaluation shows this design is highly robust for grasping a wide variety of individual consumer objects, with all grasp attempts successful. In addition, we demonstrate this design is effective for picking single objects from dense clutter, a task at which ants also show high competence. The work advances grasping technology and shed new light on the mechanical importance of hairy structures and tarsal flexibility in insects.