Surface and Shape Deposition Manufacturing for the Fabrication of a Curved Surface Gripper

Biological systems such as the gecko are complex, involving a wide variety of materials and length scales. Bio-inspired robotic systems seek to emulate this complexity, leading to manufacturing challenges. A new design for a membrane-based gripper for curved surfaces requires the inclusion of microscale features, macroscale structural elements, electrically patterned thin films, and both soft and hard materials. Surface and shape deposition manufacturing (S²DM) is introduced as a process that can create parts with multiple materials, as well as integrated thin films and microtextures. It combines SDM techniques, laser cutting and patterning, and a new texturing technique, surface microsculpting. The process allows for precise registration of sequential additive/subtractive manufacturing steps. S²DM is demonstrated with the manufacture of a gripper that picks up common objects using a gecko-inspired adhesive. The process can be extended to other integrated robotic components that benefit from the integration of textures, thin films, and multiple materials.