For decades, scientists have been trying to figure out how to program a robot to firmly grip something delicate, such as a raw egg, and then a hard object, such as a coin. Researchers filled a balloon with coffee grinds to create the "universal gripper". It is able to pick up any hard, dry object. when the gripper comes in contact with an object, a vacuum sucks the air out of the balloon, compressing the coffee grounds around the object, allowing it to be picked up. Coffee was the chosen material for the filling because of its lightness ans ability to jam pack well.
This is a major breakthrough in robotics. No one had thought to use a balloon instead of fingers in a robot that would pass the raw egg/coin test. There are various applications for this new gripper. It could be use in factories that deal with delicate parts or in a better prosthetic limb. It could be used to dismantle bombs because of its soft touch. However, there are some limitations to this "universal gripper". It could not pick up something flat like a piece of paper or anything larger than the area of the balloon. It is also unable to lift anything above 30 newtons. This gripper is a great concept, but there are some bugs that the researchers will need to iron out before it could go mainstream.
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