Publications
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Octopus-Inspired Embodied Tactile Intelligence: A Universally-Calibrated Miniature Vision-Based Suction Cup
I am thrilled to share that our paper, “Octopus-Inspired Embodied Tactile Intelligence: A Universally-Calibrated Miniature Vision-Based Suction Cup,” has been accepted by IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (TMECH) and will be presented at AIM2026! 🐙🚀 We have developed a miniaturized, vision-based suction cup that gives robotic manipulators a sense of touch—enabling…
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Passive Adaptive Grippers: a mini-review
Journal: Frontiers in Robotics and AI Soft Robotics, Moonshot Goals of Soft Robotics through Embodied Intelligence Publication Date: 7th May 2026 Link to Publication: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2026.1747157/full Abstract: Passive adaptive grippers leverage existing degrees of freedom (DOFs) of an external host system such as a robotic arm to complete a manipulation task.…
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Durability of Soft Pneumatic Actuators: A Review and Benchmarking Protocol
Author list: Dickson Chiu Yu Wong, Yucheng Luo, Rob Bernardus Nicolaas Scharff Published in: Advanced Robotics Research Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) have the potential to revolutionize automation in industries that require the handling of delicate and irregularly shaped objects. However, their limited operational lifetime has hindered widespread adoption. While conventional…
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Passive Adaptive Object Prehension, Retention, and Release With a Mechanically Intelligent Gripper
Author List: Ming Chun CHAN , Jiayun LI , Ziyao WU , Nan WANG , and Rob B.N. SCHARFF Journal: IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS, VOL. 10, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2025 Publication Date: 16 September 2025 Link to Publication: https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3610293 Supplymentary Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDlH7m_Y8PU&t=1s&pp=ygViUGFzc2l2ZSBBZGFwdGl2ZSBPYmplY3QgUHJlaGVuc2lvbiwgUmV0ZW50aW9uLCBhbmQgUmVsZWFzZSBXaXRoIGEgTWVjaGFuaWNhbGx5IEludGVsbGlnZW50IEdyaXBwZXI%3D Abstract: This letter presents a mechanically intelligent…
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Toward Octopus-inspired Whole arm Manipulation: A Sliding Pseudo-joint for Soft Pneumatic Robot Arm
Author list: Yucheng Luo; Ming Chun Chan; Dickson Chiu Yu Wong; Yuchen Liang; Rob B.N. Scharff Published in: 2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) Whole arm manipulation with soft robot arms is a challenging problem because, in contrast to traditional robot arms with grippers mounted at the…
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Application of biomimetic tongue substrate to investigate the role of friction and vibration in sensory texture perception
Author List: Liwen Huang, Chengjin Du, Rob BN Scharff, Lucia Beccai, Jun Wang, Dongdong Du Published in: Food Research International The suckers on the octopus arm play a pivotal role in the execution of tasks in unstructured environments by providing a means to grip objects as well as perceive the…
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Optoelectronically Innervated Suction Cup Inspired by the Octopus
Author List: Stein van Veggel, Michaël Wiertlewski, Eugeni L. Doubrovski, Adrie Kooijman, Barbara Mazzolai, and Rob B.N. Scharff Published in: Advanced Intelligent Systems The suckers on the octopus arm play a pivotal role in the execution of tasks in unstructured environments by providing a means to grip objects as well…
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Mechanochromic suction cups for local stress detection in soft robotics
Author List: Goffredo Giordano, Rob Bernardus Nicolaas Scharff, Marco Carlotti, Mariacristina Gagliardi, Carlo Filippeschi, Alessio Mondini, Antonio Papangelo, Barbara Mazzolai Published in: Advanced Intelligent Systems Advancements in smart soft materials are enhancing the capabilities of roboticmanipulators in object interactions and complex tasks. Mechanochromic materials, acting as lightweight sensors, offer easily…
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Development of a novel variable-curvature soft gripper used for orientating broccoli in the trimming line
Author List: Yongkai Ye, Chaoyue Han, Shuo Kang, Jianzhuang Zhao, Rob BN Scharff, Jun Wang, Dongdong Du Published in: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture Orientating the broccoli plays an important part in the trimming line, which helps reduce the redundant stalk length and provides accurate throughput data for sale. However,…
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Nondestructive evaluation of harvested cabbage texture quality using 3D scanning technology
Author List: Dongdong Du, Yongkai Ye, Dongfang Li, Jie Fan, Rob BN Scharff, Jun Wang, Fake Shan Published in: Journal of Food Engineering Current nondestructive methods for evaluating the texture quality of leafy vegetables have limitations due to their complicated leafy structure. In this study, a promising solution was proposed using 3D scanning technology…