Ant mandibles could help robots get a better grip

News

By observing how ants move objects, researchers have developed an end effector that could make robot grippers more effective at picking objects up and moving them around.

Ants use the hairs on their jaws to sense objects and to mechanically stabilise their grasp over anything they are carrying
AdobeStock

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.

 

According to its developers at Edinburgh University, the gripper could potentially be deployed in a range of tasks that include environmental clean-up, retail operations, construction, and agriculture. The university was joined in the effort by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Ocado Group and Amazon Research.

 

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. 

“Now we can see how their antennae, front legs and jaws combine to sense, manipulate, grasp and move objects. For instance, we’ve discovered how much ants rely on their front legs to get objects in position. This will inform further development of our technology.”

After some further testing for robustness, the researchers believe the gripper could be deployed immediately. A key aim is to enable it to pick up unfamiliar objects in clutter – a particular need in environmental clean-up. Among its multiple potential applications, the system could be incorporated into autonomous mobile robotic systems that do not need to communicate with the cloud.

A paper describing the work can be found here.

biomimetics