The Construction of a Soft Gripper Based on Magnetorheological Elastomer with Permanent Magnet

Abstract: Recently, magnetorheological elastomers have become an interesting smart material with many new designs for robotics. A variety of applications have been built with magnetorheological elastomers, such as vibration absorbers, actuators, or grippers, showing that this material is promising for soft robotics. In this work, the novel concept of a gripper is proposed, exploring the features of a magnetorheological elastomer and permanent magnet. The gripper uses the energy of a permanent magnet to provide a self-closing gripping mechanism. The usage of flexible material enables one to hold delicate objects of various shapes. This paper presents the rolling effect of magnetorheological elastomer and permanent magnet, the design process, and the features of the soft gripper. The effectiveness of the soft gripper was validated in a series of experiments that involved lifting different objects.