A new robotic hand developed at The University of Texas at Austin was announced on Mar. 10, demonstrating the ability to grasp delicate items such as potato chips and raspberries without causing damage. The technology, named Fragile Object Grasping with Tactile Sensing (FORTE), uses advanced tactile sensing combined with soft robotics to improve a robot’s ability to handle fragile objects.
The development is significant because it addresses a key challenge in robotics: performing fine and delicate movements that require a gentle touch. This advancement could have important implications for industries where careful handling is essential, such as health care, food processing, and manufacturing.
Siqi Shang, lead author of a paper published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and a doctoral student in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said, “Right now, robotics is starting to be able to do large motions around the house, but struggles with really fine and delicate movements. Robots can fold a shirt but may struggle to carefully pick up your glasses or unpack fruit from your groceries. We believe sensing signals will give robots a sense of touch to handle these objects carefully.”
The robotic fingers are inspired by the fin-ray effect found in fish fins and are produced using advanced 3D-printing techniques. They contain internal air channels that act as tactile sensors. When grasping an object, changes in air pressure within these channels are detected by small sensors that provide real-time feedback about grip force and slippage.
Testing involved 31 different objects ranging from fragile foods to slippery jars and everyday items like apples. The system achieved a 91.9% success rate in single-trial grasping experiments and recognized slips with 93% accuracy at 100% precision—meaning no false slip events were recorded. Lillian Chin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UT, said, “Humans pick up objects with just the right amount of force; too much and you’ll crush it, but too little and it’ll slip out of your hand. Most current force sensors aren’t fast or accurate enough to provide that Goldilocks level of detail. In particular, our sensors operate closer to the timescales of human hand sensors.”
The FORTE system stands out for its speed, accuracy, durability due to customizable 3D-printed parts, and especially its slip-sensing capability—a feature rare among robotic grippers.
Researchers have made hardware designs and algorithms publicly available for further development by others in the field. Future work includes improving sensor resistance to temperature changes and enhancing slip detection capabilities.
