Handle with care: Soft robot gripper picks ripe fruit without bruising

Handle with care: Soft robot gripper picks ripe fruit without bruising

When assessing the ripeness of fruit, sight and smell can tell you a lot, but the best indicator is often how the fruit feels. Cornell researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch, then gently twist them off their branch or vine without causing any damage.

Environmental News Network - Handle With Care: Soft Robot Gripper Picks Ripe Fruit Without Bruising

A global perspective on environmental issues. Our mission is to inform, educate, enable and create a platform for global environmental action.

Soft Robot Gripper Picks Ripe Fruit Without Bruising

ITHACA, N.Y. — When assessing the ripeness of fruit, sight and smell can tell you a lot, but the best indicator is often how the fruit feels. Cornell researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch, then gently twist them off their branch or vine without causing any damage. The technology, developed in the lab of Rob Shepherd, the John F. Carr Professor of Mec…

U.S. soft robot detects ripeness and harvests strawberries

Researchers at Cornell have developed a soft robotic gripper using stretchable fiber-optic sensors to assess fruit ripeness by touch and harvest strawberries without damage. The system measures firmness and uses a twisting motion to remove fruit from the vine. The research, published March 23 in Nature…