Overview
- The FORTE system achieved a 91.9% single-trial grasp success rate and recognized 93% of slips with 100% precision in experiments.
- Engineers tested 31 objects spanning fragile (potato chips, raspberries), slippery (jam jars, billiard balls) and everyday items (soup cans, apples).
- 3D-printed compliant fingers embed internal air channels read by off-the-shelf pressure sensors for real-time force and slip feedback at human-like timescales.
- The soft fingers demonstrated high durability and easy customization, with researchers reporting more than 200 hours of experimental use.
- UT Austin published the work in IEEE RA-L and released designs and code on GitHub, with next steps targeting temperature robustness and improved slip catching for uses in food processing, health care and manufacturing.