Dr. Gourav Moger, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI), presented his research paper titled “A Honeycomb-Inspired Soft Robotic Gripper with Intrinsic Adaptive Control” at the 2026 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), held in Pittsburgh, USA.
The study was co-authored with Prof. Zhanat Kappassov and supervised by ISSAI Founding Director Prof. Huseyin Atakan Varol, both faculty members at the School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) at Nazarbayev University.
The paper introduces an electrically driven four-claw soft gripper powered by a single rotary actuator, offering an adaptive grasping diameter range of 15-125 mm. To overcome common limitations of conventional pneumatic systems, such as nonlinear control dynamics, the design incorporates 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) honeycomb fingertips. These compliant structures deform passively to conform to diverse object geometries, textures, and stiffness levels.
In addition to passive mechanical adaptation, the system uses an intrinsic control strategy based on motor current feedback. By compensating for angle-dependent baseline currents, the gripper detects object contact and terminates closure safely without relying on external tactile or force sensors.
Following the conference, Dr. Moger visited leading robotics research laboratories at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and New York University (NYU). The visits provided opportunities to engage with researchers, exchange insights on cutting-edge developments in manipulation and soft robotics, and explore potential avenues for future research collaboration.
A video demonstration of the gripper’s capabilities is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ84-XktrXM