We present hybrid electrostatic and gecko-inspired gripping pads that help robots to lift and carry bulky objects. The directional, gecko-inspired adhesive provides a controllable shear force with low normal force, providing a very high effective coefficient of friction so that items like bags full of groceries and heavy cardboard boxes can be lifted using only 1–2 N of squeezing force. The addition of electrostatics helps the pads to conform to non-smooth surfaces, providing substantially higher shear forces than with gecko-inspired adhesives alone. The electrostatic effect is enhanced by doping the silicone rubber adhesive material with calcium copper titanate (CCTO), except at the contacting faces of the adhesive microstructures, where a smooth surface finish is important for adhesion. We describe the multimaterial fabrication process used to create the new hybrid adhesive and present the results of robotic lifting experiments with non-smooth bulky items.

我们提出了混合静电和壁虎启发的抓地垫，可帮助机器人举起和搬运笨重的物体。这种受壁虎启发的定向胶粘剂可控制剪切力，法向力低，提供了非常高的有效摩擦系数，因此，仅用1-2 N的挤压力即可提起诸如装满食品杂货的袋子和笨重的纸板箱之类的物品。静电的添加有助于垫板适应不光滑的表面，比单独壁虎启发的粘合剂提供更高的剪切力。通过在硅橡胶粘合剂材料中掺入钛酸钙铜（CCTO）可以增强静电效果，但在粘合剂微结构的接触面除外，因为光滑的表面光洁度对于粘合至关重要。