A new soft, silent, and fully electric gripping technology capable of operating without pumps or external vacuum systems.
Vacuum suction cups are among the most widely used solutions in robotics and industrial automation. Simple, reliable, and versatile, they nevertheless require pumps, tubing, valves, and pneumatic infrastructure that are often bulky, noisy, and characterized by high energy consumption.
To overcome these limitations, Omnigrasp has contributed to the development of a new approach to robotic grasping: electroadhesion suction cups, presented in the scientific paper Electroadhesion Suction Cups, published in the prestigious international journal Advanced Materials.
This technology combines the principles of electroadhesion with passive vacuum generation, resulting in soft, compact, silent, and fully electric grippers capable of operating without external pumps or vacuum generators.
Just 1.5 W to grip objects weighing up to 1.5 kg
The new electroadhesion suction cups consume only 1.5 W of power and can grip objects weighing up to 1.5 kg, adapting to surfaces that are:
- flat or curved;
- smooth or moderately rough;
- rigid or delicate;
- made of different materials and geometries.
At the core of the device is a thin, soft membrane with integrated electrodes. When an electrical voltage is applied, electrostatic forces progressively cause the membrane to adhere to the object’s surface.
Thanks to its deformability, the membrane conforms to the geometry of the component, increases the contact area, and creates a passive vacuum chamber during lifting. The combination of electroadhesion and negative pressure generates a strong gripping force while maintaining extremely low power consumption.
To release the object, it is sufficient to switch off the voltage; detachment can be further accelerated through a small valve that breaks the vacuum created inside the suction cup.
Toward more compact and efficient robotics
By eliminating the need for pumps, compressors, tubing, and pneumatic systems, this technology enables the design of lighter, simpler, and more easily integrated end-effectors.
Electroadhesion suction cups can unlock new possibilities across numerous applications, including:
- industrial automation and logistics;
- pick-and-place operations;
- packaging and product handling;
- mobile robotics;
- service robotics;
- battery-powered systems;
- handling of delicate or irregularly shaped objects.
The reduction in energy consumption and required infrastructure makes this solution particularly attractive for mobile robots and applications where compactness, quiet operation, and autonomy are essential requirements.
Research born from collaboration between industry and academia
The work was carried out by Fabio Caruso, Herbert Shea, and Vito Cacucciolo through a collaboration between Omnigrasp, the Soft Transducers Laboratory (LMTS) at EPFL, and the RoboPhysicsLab at the Polytechnic University of Bari.
The publication represents an important milestone in Omnigrasp’s research and development journey and confirms the value of collaboration between industry and academia in creating more sustainable, efficient, and versatile gripping technologies.
With electroadhesion suction cups, Omnigrasp continues to rethink how robots interact with objects, transforming electrostatic adhesion into a practical new solution for the robotics of the future.