Soft to Ridge Finger with Waterproof Link Based Gripper for Human Assistive Robot: Design & Development

Soft to Ridge Finger with Waterproof Link Based Gripper for Human Assistive Robot: Design & Development | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Soft to Ridge Finger with Waterproof Link Based Gripper for Human Assistive Robot: Design & Development Md Enamul Haque, Asif Al Zubayer Shapnil, Md Samiul Haque Sunny, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9535133/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Assistive robotic grippers intended for activities of daily living (ADLs) must combine adaptability, lightweight construction, mechanical simplicity, and safe interaction with a wide range of household objects. This study presents the design and development of a novel two-finger assistive gripper that integrates a hybrid soft-rigid finger architecture with a single-actuator linkage mechanism. Each finger combines a rigid polylactic acid (PLA) structural framework with a soft silicone layer to achieve both load-bearing capability and compliant object contact. To reduce system complexity, both fingers are driven symmetrically by a single coreless DC linear actuator through a mirrored linkage arrangement. In addition, a sealed linkage geometry was developed as a waterproof-ready design concept to protect internal components in liquid-prone assistive environments. The gripper was designed for wheelchair-mounted and mobile assistive robotic applications and was evaluated through representative ADL-related manipulation tasks using common household objects with varying sizes, shapes, weights, and fragility levels. Experimental results showed an overall task success rate of approximately 94% across the tested ADL scenarios, demonstrating effective grasping, holding, and manipulation performance. Although waterproof performance was not experimentally validated in the present prototype due to fabrication limitations of the 3D-printed components, the proposed design provides a promising foundation for lightweight, efficient, and practical assistive robotic grippers. Robotics Assistive robotics Activities of daily living Two-finger gripper Single-actuator mechanism Waterproof linkage Mechanism design Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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