Bloom 軟體機械夾爪 by Bio-Inspired Robotics Design Lab

Bloom 軟體機械夾爪 by Bio-Inspired Robotics Design Lab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 鐵獎 in 機械人設計 Competition Category.

鐵機械人· 2022

Bloom 軟體機械夾爪

by Bio-Inspired Robotics Design Lab

Client: Bio-inspired Robotics & Design Laboratory

A' Design Award 鐵獎 Winner in 機械人 Category

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The Design

About Bloom 軟體機械夾爪

Bloom係一款專為自動化搬運同組裝任務而設計嘅軟體機械夾爪。呢款夾爪嘅設計靈感嚟自人類嘅手掌，以及法國薔薇循環綻放嘅形態。Bloom以矽膠製成，並利用氣壓驅動。可伸縮嘅「指甲」設計令佢可以精準夾取細薄物件。可摺疊嘅「花瓣」結構則方便舀取顆粒狀物料。靈活嘅「掌心」部分可以調節開合闊度，用嚟應付較大件嘅物件。夾爪透過低壓同安全嘅氣壓操作嚟切換唔同嘅抓取模式。Bloom能夠安全咁處理精細物品，適合喺人類工作人員附近操作使用。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鐵獎

Bloom 軟體機械夾爪是 A' Design Award 鐵獎得主，這是授予滿足人們對設計精良的創作所期待的專業與工業要求的優良設計的聲望認可。鐵獎得主展現出其創作者的高超技藝、高度專業化、專家級的理解力和創造能力。預計Bloom 軟體機械夾爪將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的創作，既實用又創新。這件贏得 A' Design Award 鐵獎的設計整合了行業最佳實踐，並擁有與專業知識和才華相結合的稱職技術特性。Bloom 軟體機械夾爪因其嚴謹而受到尊重，旨在提供有助於讓世界變得更美好的生活品質改善。

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