Soft Grippers

What Are Soft Grippers?

Soft grippers represent a modern and innovative approach in robotics. Unlike traditional rigid grippers, soft grippers use flexible, compliant materials that adapt to the shape of an object. Instead of applying uniform force, they conform to the object’s surface, allowing for safe and gentle handling of sensitive items such as food, consumer goods, or medical products.

This adaptability makes soft grippers ideal for handling objects that are fragile, irregularly shaped, or easily deformable, offering new automation possibilities in industries where traditional grippers fall short.

Applications in Industry

Soft grippers are now widely used across manufacturing, packaging, logistics, and automation. Their ability to grasp delicate or variable items reduces product waste and improves process consistency. In food processing, they can handle fruits, baked goods, or ready-made meals without damage. In pharmaceuticals or laboratories, they ensure hygienic, precise handling of vials, capsules, or instruments.

Because they can handle a broad variety of materials and shapes, soft grippers are also valuable in flexible production environments, where product types and geometries frequently change.

Compatibility and Integration

One of the key strengths of modern soft grippers is their simple integration into existing robotic setups. Many models are pneumatically or electrically actuated and come with standard interfaces that fit leading robotic arms from Universal Robots, OnRobot, Soft Robotics, and Robotiq. Their plug-and-play design and intuitive configuration tools make them easy to install, program, and maintain — even for teams without deep robotics expertise.

Benefits at a Glance

Soft grippers combine safety, flexibility, and efficiency in one system:

• Gentle handling of fragile or irregularly shaped items
• Reduction of product waste and surface damage
• Quick setup and easy integration into existing automation systems
• Compatibility with a wide range of industrial and collaborative robots
• Ideal for hygienic environments such as food or pharmaceutical production

The Future of Adaptive Handling

As automation becomes more widespread, soft gripping technology is playing a key role in making robotics more adaptable and accessible. By combining human-like sensitivity with robotic precision, soft grippers enable new applications in areas previously considered too delicate for automation — helping companies streamline production while maintaining quality and care.