aiqbench analysis
This research demonstrates a novel integration of granular-jamming grippers with continuum manipulators, leveraging reinforcement learning to manage deformation errors in confined spaces. By combining physical adaptation with learned control policies, the system achieves reliable grasping without relying on highly accurate kinematic models. This work advances embodied intelligence by showing how adaptive mechanical structures can complement algorithmic controllers in complex manipulation tasks.
A Support-Enhanced Granular-Jamming Gripper for RL-based Grasping with Continuum Manipulators
arXiv:2609.29093v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Continuum manipulators provide dexterous motion in confined spaces, but structural compliance, hysteresis, and load-dependent deformation leave residual position and orientation errors that can undermine reliable contact with rigid grippers. To address this limitation, this paper presents a lightweight support-enhanced granular-jamming gripper tailored to a continuum manipulator. The gripper maintains compliance before jamming while establishing a direct load path to the continuum manipulator tip after jamming. To improve its grasping performance, we systematically designed membrane materials, particles, filling ratios, and the internal support structure, and further identify geometry-dependent grasp boundaries with respect to contact offset and object shape. Building on these results, we construct a physical manipulation system integrating the continuum manipulator, granular-jamming gripper, visual feedback, tendon actuation, and pneumatic control. We then train a reinforcement-learning-based reaching controller in a randomized simulation and deploy it on the physical system, demonstrating how positioning control and contact level mechanical adaptation can complement each other in a modular grasp-and-release task. By introducing an adaptive structure that relaxes the need for highly accurate modeling and positioning control, this work explores a design paradigm that integrates physical and embodied intelligence.
Abstract:Continuum manipulators provide dexterous motion in confined spaces, but structural compliance, hysteresis, and load-dependent deformation leave residual position and orientation errors that can undermine reliable contact with rigid grippers. To address this limitation, this paper presents a lightweight support-enhanced granular-jamming gripper tailored to a continuum manipulator. The gripper maintains compliance before jamming while establishing a direct load path to the continuum manipulator tip after jamming. To improve its grasping performance, we systematically designed membrane materials, particles, filling ratios, and the internal support structure, and further identify geometry-dependent grasp boundaries with respect to contact offset and object shape. Building on these results, we construct a physical manipulation system integrating the continuum manipulator, granular-jamming gripper, visual feedback, tendon actuation, and pneumatic control. We then train a reinforcement-learning-based reaching controller in a randomized simulation and deploy it on the physical system, demonstrating how positioning control and contact level mechanical adaptation can complement each other in a modular grasp-and-release task. By introducing an adaptive structure that relaxes the need for highly accurate modeling and positioning control, this work explores a design paradigm that integrates physical and embodied intelligence.
Robotics (cs.RO)
arXiv:2609.29093 [cs.RO]
(or arXiv:2609.29093v1 [cs.RO] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.29093 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
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Full text under the publisher's open licence · 277 words
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