Design and Fabrication of a Bio-Inspired Soft Gripper for Underwater Manipulation

This paper presents a bio-inspired soft gripper designed to improve underwater manipulation capabilities for unmanned vehicles. The proposed system utilizes a hybrid additive manufacturing technique, combining watertight resin manifolds with durable thermoplastic polyurethane arms. Mimicking octopus morphology, the tapered and serrated geometry ensures secure grasping of irregular objects through increased friction. A closed-loop hydraulic actuation system drives the mechanism, delivering sufficient grasping force within a compact form factor. By eliminating complex external interfaces, this design offers a robust, modular, and cost-efficient solution suitable for diverse underwater operations.