Design and Experimental Assessment of 3D-Printed Soft Grasping Interfaces for Robotic Harvesting

Robotic harvesters and grippers have been widely developed for fruit-picking tasks. However, existing approaches often fail to account for the fruit’s post-harvest condition, leading to premature decay due to excessive grasping forces. This study addresses this gap by designing and evaluating passive soft grasping interfaces for rigid robotic grippers, aiming to handle delicate fruits and vegetables while minimizing bruising. Using hyperelastic materials and 3D printing, four different interface designs, including Gyroid, Grid, Cubic, and Cross 3D patterns, were developed and tested. Experimental evaluations assessed surface adaptability, grasping force distribution, and post-harvest bruising effects. Results indicate that collapsible interface patterns greatly reduce grasping forces and offer lower bruising severity when compared to traditional rigid grippers. These findings suggest that hybrid soft-rigid grasping strategies offer a promising solution for improving fruit-handling efficiency in autonomous harvesting and pick-and-place operations.