Soft Gripper Design and Fabrication for Underwater Grasping

Underwater manipulation with current robotics technology is a challenging task with significant limits in versatility and robustness terms. Such functionality has tremendous potential covering a broad spectrum of applications, mainly replacing divers performing hazardous jobs. Soft robotics provides an efficient solution for operating in these scenarios and adapting to uncertain environmental conditions. This paper presents the design and fabrication of a simple, low-cost, and easily deployable soft gripper for underwater manipulation. We use modelling and simulation techniques for designing the soft fluidic elastomer actuators that compose the soft gripper and additive manufacturing techniques for rapid test cycles and validation. These techniques allow for a fast redesign depending on the application requirements. The proposal combines materials and fabrication techniques to take advantage of their strengths. We validate the feasibility and ability of the proposed soft gripper in a challenging underwater scenario using a subaquatic vehicle.