PackBot Opens Door With Its Balloon Robot Hand

Posted on November 17, 2012

This small PackBot from iRobot can open doors thanks to its balloon robot hand or jamming gripper. A robotic gripper like the one the PackBot uses to open doors was previously shown to enable a robot to pick up nearly any object.

The first robotic grippers were simply coffee grounds inside a rubber bag. The gripper can jam around an object and hold it tight when a vacuum is applied. Take a look:

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