Bloom
Bloom is a soft robotic gripper designed for automated handling and assembly tasks. The gripper is inspired by the human hand and by the cyclic blooming of the Gallic rose. Bloom is made of silicone and is moved by air pressure. Retractable nails allow precise grasping of thin objects. Foldable petals allow the scooping of granular materials. A flexible palm changes the opening width for wide objects. Low and safe pressures are used to switch between the grasping modes. Bloom can handle delicate items safely close to human workers.
Bloom Reconfigurable Soft Robotic Gripper by BioInspired Robotics & Design Laboratory has been recognized as a grand illustration of service design by the A' Design Award & Competition. Bloom Reconfigurable Soft Robotic Gripper won the Iron A' Design Award in Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design in 2022. The A' Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design Award is a juried, academic and highly prestigious design competition which celebrates superior design of industrial robots, medical robots, agricultural robots, domestic robots, autonomous vehicles, humanoid robots, telepresence robots, underwater robots and more.
