Engineers at MIT and Stanford have built a new robotic gripper inspired by the twisting, clinging nature of plant vines. Instead of traditional mechanical claws, this design uses soft, inflatable tubes that grow and snake around a target object, creating a secure yet gentle grip before lifting it. The work appears in Science Advances and aims to blend strength with delicacy in robotic manipulation, tells MIT News.
The system starts with a pressurized box near an object. Thin pneumatic tubes extend outward, much like a vine growing toward sunlight. As they expand, they can wind around objects of different shapes and sizes. Once the vine-like tendrils encircle the target, they continue back to their source, where they’re clamped and slowly retracted. The retracting action raises the object in a sling-like cradle, reducing stress on fragile items compared with rigid grippers that pinch or apply pressure at a few contact points.
The team demonstrated the gripper on a wide variety of objects, from glass vases and watermelons to kettlebells and even playground balls. The soft tubes can also navigate cluttered spaces and squeeze through tight gaps to reach objects, giving the system flexibility in unpredictable environments.
One of the most striking potential applications is in eldercare, where caregivers must lift or reposition patients, a task that is physically demanding and can risk injury. A larger version of the vine gripper could gently slip under a person and lift them without the bulk or risk associated with conventional robotic arms or slings.
Beyond healthcare, this vine-inspired approach could benefit agriculture, logistics, and industrial handling, especially where heavy or delicate objects are involved, and traditional grippers struggle. By combining soft robotics with bioinspired design, the researchers have opened new possibilities for machines that can handle complex, varied tasks with grace and care.