Dual‐Mode Gripper With Suction and Shape‐Adaptive Freezing Grasps

This study presents a dual‐mode robotic gripper that integrates vacuum suction with a shape‐adaptive freezing grasp based on water solidification and geometric conformity. The freezing mode employs a highly compliant rubber membrane at the contact interface and dry‐ice powder as a cooling medium. A thin water layer sprayed onto the object surface is rapidly frozen through dry‐ice injection, generating ice‐mediated adhesion while adapting to complex geometries. The gripper can switch between freezing and suction modes, enabling the handling of objects with diverse shapes, materials, and surface conditions that are difficult for conventional grippers. Experimental results show that the freezing mode provides strong and stable holding forces on several objects with rough, uneven, or porous surfaces, where suction grasping is less effective. Parametric studies reveal that the adhesion force increases with contact area, cooling time, and lifting speed. The freezing mode is less suitable for objects with high thermal conductivity, particularly when they have a large thermal mass, and for water‐sensitive objects, whereas the suction mode can be selected when sealed contact is available. These results demonstrate that the proposed gripper expands grasping capability through mode selection according to the shape, surface condition, and material properties of the target object.