Adaptive suction gripper with self-closing and leakage-prevention functionality

Abstract

To address suction failure caused by localized air leakage in multi-cup vacuum grippers, this paper proposes an adaptive suction gripper with passive self-closing and leakage-prevention functionality. The mechanism incorporates self-closing suction cup (SCS) units containing elastic balls that autonomously block failed suction channels under excessive leakage flow while remaining open during normal adhesion. Unlike conventional valve-based or membrane-sealing approaches, this design achieves unit-level leakage isolation without sensors, actuators, or electronic control. The Variable-Stiffness Adaptive Mechanism (VSAM) passively conforms to object curvature through granular reconfiguration and provides structural support during grasping. Comparative experiments show that, under identical vacuum supply conditions, the proposed gripper achieves an average effective suction force approximately 9.3 times that of a conventional non-self-closing configuration. Additional grasping tests on five representative household objects with different geometries demonstrate robust suction grasping adaptability and stable operation. These results demonstrate that the proposed fully passive architecture provides a practical solution for robust multi-cup suction grasping under partial-contact and leakage-prone conditions.