Intelligent Soft Robotic Grippers for Agricultural and Food Product Handling: A Brief Review with a Focus on Design and Control

Abstract

Advances in material sciences, control algorithms, and manufacturing techniques have facilitated rapid progress in soft grippers, propelling their adoption in various fields. In this review article, a comprehensive overview of the design and control aspects of intelligent soft robotic grippers tailored specifically for agricultural product handling is provided. Soft grippers have emerged as a promising solution for handling delicate and fragile objects. In this article, the recent progress in various gripper design, including fluidic and mechanical grippers, is elucidated and the role of advanced control approaches in enabling intelligent functions, such as object classification and grasping condition evaluation, is explored. Moreover, the challenges and opportunities pertaining to implementation of soft grippers in the agricultural industry are thoroughly discussed. While most demonstrations of soft grippers and their control strategies remain at the experimental stage, in this article, it is aimed to provide insights into the potential applications of soft grippers in agricultural product handling, thereby inspiring future research in this field.