Adaptive Soft Elastomeric Fingers Pneumatically Actuated Extendable and Retractable Soft Robotic Gripper

Ishan S. Deshmukh; Deepanshu Goel; Hem Gosalia; Jeane Marina D’Souza

doi:10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13

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Adaptive Soft Elastomeric Fingers Pneumatically Actuated Extendable and Retractable Soft Robotic Gripper

Authors

Ishan S. Deshmukh¹, Deepanshu Goel¹, Hem Gosalia¹, Jeane Marina D’Souza¹^{, *}

¹Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India

^*Corresponding author. Email: jeane.dsouza@manipal.edu

Corresponding Author

Jeane Marina D’Souza

Available Online 4 September 2026.

DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: Adaptive Gripper; Finite Element Analysis; Mechatronics; Pneumatic Actuation; Soft Robotics
Abstract: The safe and adaptive manipulation of objects is a central issue in robotic automation, especially where the artefact in question is fragile, deformable, or of irregular shape. Rigid end-effectors are often characterized by low compliance, whereas extant soft robotic grippers often have fixed geometry and require a number of actuators to enable a transition between different grasping states. The current paper presents a pneumatically actuated soft robotic gripper with extendable and retractable silicone fingers allowing two-mode grasping with one pneumatic hose. The proposed design incorporates a conforming finger structure and a synchronized mechanical connection system in order to provide uniform bending and shape modulation. Finite Element Analysis confirms that the soft fingers have high, domesticated deflections necessary to adaptive grasping without structural breakdown. The gripper, due to its small size and compliant design, and the ability to operate in two modes, can be a promising solution to work in automation, food handling, and collaborative robotics.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechanics, Materials and Mechatronics (ICM³ 2026)
Series: Atlantis Highlights in Engineering
Publication Date: 4 September 2026
ISBN: 978-94-6239-764-4
ISSN: 2589-4943
DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Ishan S. Deshmukh
AU  - Deepanshu Goel
AU  - Hem Gosalia
AU  - Jeane Marina D’Souza
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/04
TI  - Adaptive Soft Elastomeric Fingers Pneumatically Actuated Extendable and Retractable Soft Robotic Gripper
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechanics, Materials and Mechatronics (ICM³ 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 159
EP  - 165
SN  - 2589-4943
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13
ID  - Deshmukh2026
ER  -

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