journal article·2025-05-17Open access

Design, Characteristic Analysis and Modeling of a Tailored Soft Robot for Phosphorite Grabbing

Yang Zhang, Junjie Lu, Zixin Huang, Bing Feng

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 10

Abstract

The grabbing of phosphorite rocks is an important process in the mining industry. Traditional grabbing technology based on rigid robots faces challenges such as heavy weight, low flexibility, and insufficient safety. This study presents the structural design, characteristic analysis, and modeling of a novel tailored soft robot for phosphorite grabbing (TSRPG). The TSRPG is designed with soft, flexible materials, providing flexible movement and high safety in complex environments. The design inspiration of the robot comes from humans using their thumb and index finger to hold things, and the structural design mainly focuses on the flexibility and grabbing function of the robot. The grabbing function of the TSRPG is exhibited by several actual grabbing experiments. In addition, through characteristic analysis, we explore the robot’s motion properties under various input air pressure conditions. A mathematical model of the TSRPG is developed to depict its characteristics based on the nonlinear ARX model. The developed mathematical model provides a base for promoting the practical application of the TSRPG.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Micro and Nano Robotics · Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

College of Management, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China

School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China

Yunnan Key Laboratory of Unmanned Autonomous Systems, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650504, China

Provincial Engineering Research Center for New Energy Vehicle Intelligent Control and Simulation Test Technology of Sichuan, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China

Funding

Nature Science Foundation of Hubei Province · Foundation of Yunnan Key Laboratory of Unmanned Autonomous Systems · Foundation of Provincial Engineering Research Center for New Energy Vehicle Intelligent Control and Simulation Test Technology of Sichuan

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