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Bio-inspired robo-gripper draws on seed pods to improve on a great idea
For some time now, we've been hearing about "bistable" devices that can remain in either of two states without expending any energy. A new one, inspired by plant seed pods, takes the form of a robotic gripper which is strong yet easily activated.
When it comes to the latter, you don't want to have to apply a great deal of pressure in order to trigger the grasping action – this means you want the gripper to have a low "energy barrier." The problem is, bistable devices with low energy barriers typically don't have much strength for holding onto the objects they grasp. In a demonstration of the technology, one of the grippers was installed on the top of a quadcopter drone, allowing the aircraft to hang from tree branches, railings, etc instead of having to hover in place.
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