Active Surface-Driven Reconfigurable Gripper: Robust Grasping and Sequential Manipulation of Thin Objects

Venue: RSS 2026 (Sydney, Jul 13–17) · Session: Robot & Sensor Design · paper #200 Authors: Ziyi Zheng, Keqi Zhu, Hao Wu, Yanzhe Wang, Huixu Dong Program page: https://roboticsconference.org/program/papers/200/

No public preprint found (searched arXiv, Aug 2026); summary derived from the verified program abstract. Trend context: RSS 2026 survey.

Summary

Problem. Thin objects (books, paper, fabric) are notoriously hard for robotic grippers, which typically demand highly precise approach and grasp motions, limiting robustness. Method. The authors design an underactuated gripper whose thumb carries an active surface (a driven belt-like contact) enabling in-hand repositioning of a target book without moving the arm or other fingers, while the compliant underactuated fingers exploit contact with the environment; a reconfigurable structure supports different book configurations. They derive a kinematic model to set initial grasp postures for two scenarios (books flat on a table and vertically packed on a shelf), and use a physical model of book–gripper–environment interaction to optimize structural parameters and the grasping strategy. Results. Experiments show robust grasping of flat thin objects (books, paper, fabric, a mouse pad), a high success rate on vertically packed books, and reliable completion of long sequential grasp-place tasks — all without complex control.

Abstract

Robotic grippers face substantial challenges in grasping and manipulating thin objects. Most existing grippers rely on highly precise approach and grasp motions, which limits robustness and reduces applicability. This paper explores thin-object grasping using books as a representative example. Here, we propose a novel solution that integrates an active surface with underactuated compliance to achieve stable grasping of thin objects without complex control. First, an underactuated gripper with an active surface is designed. The active-surface thumb performs in-hand repositioning of the target book without requiring adjustments of the robot arm or the other fingers, while the underactuated fingers establish compliant contact conditions with the environment, and the reconfigurable structure enables reliable grasping of books under different configurations. Second, we establish a kinematic model of the gripper, and determine the initial grasp postures for two representative scenarios (books lying flat on a tabletop and books vertically packed in a shelf). Third, by analyzing the physical model of a book lying on a table and its interaction with the gripper and the environment, we systematically optimize the structural parameters and grasping strategy. Finally, extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed gripper and strategy. The results demonstrate strong robustness and adaptability when grasping thin objects placed flat (including books, paper, fabric, and mouse pad), as well as a high success rate when grasping vertically packed books. Moreover, the proposed gripper can reliably completes long sequential “grasp-place” tasks.

Wiki context

Related topic reviews: Review-Tactile-VLA · Review-Dexterous-Manipulation

← Back to RSS 2026 survey · RSS-2026-Papers · Home