Conceptual design of a variable-stiffness robotic gripper based on magnetorheological materials
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/ja-cea.2026.47.13814Keywords:
Robot manipulators, Robotics technology, Smart StructuresAbstract
This paper presents the conceptual design of a soft robotic gripper with variable stiffness based on magnetorheological (MR) materials. The main innovation lies in combining two properties that, in soft robotics, do not always go hand in hand: on the one hand, the ability to adapt safely to the object, and on the other, the ability to increase stiffness to achieve a more stable grip. To achieve this, an architecture consisting of two opposing articulated fingers, actuated by a tendon system, and incorporating MR material in the phalanges and contact areas is proposed. Stiffness is controlled via a magnetic field generated by a U-core electromagnet located in the palm. In addition, three variants based on magnetorheological fluid, soft magnetorheological elastomer, and magnetorheological foam have been analyzed.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Teresa Vicente, Juan M. Garcia-Haro, Santiago Martínez, Carlos Balaguer
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