Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla by Bio-Inspired Robotics Design Lab

Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla by Bio-Inspired Robotics Design Lab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award de Fèrre in Robotica Competition Category.

FèrreRobotica· 2022

Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla

by Bio-Inspired Robotics Design Lab

Client: Bio-inspired Robotics & Design Laboratory

A' Design Award de Fèrre Winner in Robotica Category

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The Design

About Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla

Bloom es una pinça robotica mòla concebuda per de tascas automatizadas de manipulacion e d'assemblatge. La pinça s'inspira de la man umana e de la florison ciclica de la ròsa gallica. Bloom es fabricada en silicòna e se desplaça gràcias a la pression d'aire. D'unglas retractablas permeton d'agafar amb precision d'objèctes prims. De petals pleiadisses permeton de recuperar de materials granulars. Una paum flexibla modifica la largor de dobertura per d'objèctes largs. De pressions bassas e segurizadas son utilizadas per passar d'un mòde d'agafament a l'autre. Bloom pòt manipular d'articles delicats en tota seguretat, a proximitat immediata dels trabalhadors umans.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Fèrre

Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla a ganhat la distincion A' Design Award de Fèrre, una reconeissença prestigiosa acordada a de bons designs que respondon a las exigéncias professionalas e industrialas esperadas de creacions plan concebudas. Los ganhaires del Fèrre demòstran una granda abilitat, una nauta especializacion, una comprenedura d'expèrt e la capacitat creativa de lors creators. S'espèra que Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla siá una creacion fòrça considerada, admirada e estimada, practica e innovanta. Aqueste design ganhaire de la distincion A' Design Award de Fèrre integra las melhoras practicas del sector e a de caracteristicas tecnicas competentas ligadas a un saber-far e a un talent. Per son rigor, Bloom Pinça Robotica Mòla merita lo respècte e es destinat a aportar de melhoraments a la qualitat de la vida que ajudan a far del mond un luòc melhor.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Bloom is a bio-inspired, pneumatically actuated, shape morphing soft robotic gripper that is capable of on-site rapid workspace reconfigurability. It features passive retractable nails, bi-directional foldable petals, and a flexible palm to adapt to various grasping and manipulation tasks. The ability to rapidly reconfigure grasping workspace on-the-fly allows Bloom to perform assembly tasks consisting of highly varying subtasks, a feat previously not possible using conventional rigid or existing soft grippers.
Dimensions & Packaging: 115 x 115 x 152mm
Tags: Soft Robotics, Soft Robots, Bio-Inspired Design, Biomimicry, Robotics, Material Science
Production Technology: Design Optimization using FEA, 3D Printing, Silicone Moulding & Casting
Design Challenge: Consumer goods, logistics, and food industries have been benefiting from robotic intervention to meet evolving demands. In such industries, reliable robotic handling of food rely on versatile gripper interfaces with comprehensive and adaptive capabilities. Compared to traditional rigid grippers, Bloom, a state-of-the-art soft gripper utilizes compliant soft actuators made using functional hyperelastic materials, allowing it to grasp a wider range of geometries safely and reliably.
Research: Silicone and air are both soft materials and are the main components in this soft gripper. Because of this, Bloom is able to interface with soft objects safely and effectively.

Bloom can be used in many circumstances including food preparation and healthcare. Because of its material compliance, it is able to work closely with delicate objects and human coworkers. Thus, narrowing the gap between robots and humans.
Inspiration: A product of the Bio-Inspired Robotics Design (BRD) Lab at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Bloom was inspired by both the dexterity of the human hand and the intentional cyclic blooming of the Rosa gallica (Gallic Rose). Mimicking the function of the corpus unguis, (human fingernail) Bloom, can grasp objects as thin as 300 microns, large objects as heavy as 1.4kgs, while being able to scoop objects as small as 1.5 millimeters in radius.
Project Duration: The project concluded in February 2021, at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
Operation Flow: Bloom features retractable nails to help in precision grasping of small and thin objects. An optimized bi-directional flap design allows for scooping actions for granular objects such as grains, jelly or scrambled eggs. A multi-material palm design allows for changing Bloom’s aperture for wide objects. Bloom utilizes low, safe pressures (-80kPa to 60kPa) to switch between and operate the various grasping modes.
Team Members: Snehal Jain
Saikrishna Dontu
Joanne Ee Mei Teoh.
Image Credits: Snehal Jain
Saikrishna Dontu
Joanne Ee Mei Teoh
Aaron Chooi
Pablo Valdivia Y Alvarado