A Robotic Gripper Handles Delicate Objects (Even Egg Yolk)

Engineers from North Carolina State University tasked a robotic gripper with its toughest challenge to date: a raw egg yolk.

“Conventional grippers grasp an object firmly – they grab things by putting pressure on them,” says Jie Yin, corresponding author of the paper and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State . “That can pose problems when attempting to grip fragile objects, such as egg yolks. But our grippers essentially surround an object and then lift it – similar to the way we cup our hands around an object. This allows us to ‘grip’ and move even delicate objects, without sacrificing precision.”