Latest / The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo: Autonomous Systems, Industrial Robots, and Hardware
Why Robot Hands Can't Handle a Ziploc Bag
Robot grippers can lift engines and assemble circuit boards, but they crumple when asked to open a resealable plastic bag. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the surprisingly difficult physics of thin, flexible materials and the specialized grippers being developed to solve the problem. They look at a recent paper from MIT's CSAIL lab that tested 200 different opening strategies, and discuss why soft robotics hasn't cracked this yet. The episode also touches on real-world applications from grocery packing to lab automation where this skill matters. If you've ever wondered…
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