Ant mandibles could help robots get a better grip

Key to the gripper’s success is replication of an ant’s hairy jaws, which improves the capability of current robotic handling systems with minimal increase in complexity or cost.

MORE FROM ROBOTICS & UAVs

The research underpinning this work has been funded by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Ants use the hairs on their jaws to sense objects and to mechanically stabilise their grasp over anything they are carrying. The capability has been replicated in the new gripper, which has been tested with 30 different household objects. By adding ‘hairs, the prototype gripper boosted its success rate from 64 per cent to 90 per cent. 

An aluminium two-jawed parallel plate gripper is fitted internally with four rows of hairs made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The ‘hairs’ are 20mm long and 1mm in diameter, protruding in a V-shape. This means they surround circular objects, which are particularly difficult to grasp.

In a statement, research lead Professor Barbara Webb, who runs the Insect Robotics group at Edinburgh University, said: “Inspired by the strength and delicacy with which ants move things, our prototype is just the first step. Having filmed ants in high resolution, we’ve recreated in 3D the precise sequence of actions as they pick up seeds and other objects. This has been little studied in the past.