Engineers at MIT and Stanford University have created a robotic gripper inspired by the twisting tendrils of vines that can gently wrap around and lift a wide range of objects, including people. The system uses long, inflatable tubes that extend from a pressurized box, grow outward like vines, and then twist and coil around a target before turning back toward the base. Once the tube tips reach the box, they are automatically clamped and mechanically wound, turning the extended structure into a sling like loop that can lift the object in a controlled, supportive grasp.
The design is aimed at tasks where safety and comfort are critical, with a particular focus on eldercare. Transferring a person out of bed is described as one of the most physically strenuous jobs for caregivers, and the robotic vines can remove the need for manually positioning a patient onto a hammock like sheet used with conventional patient lifts. In operation, a robotic vine in an open loop configuration can grow and twist around a person or object, even burrowing under someone lying on a bed, and then continue to extend back toward its base where it attaches to a winch to form a closed loop that can be retracted for lifting.
The system’s core innovation lies in combining open loop and closed loop behaviors to match different stages of a grasping task, from initial positioning to secure holding. The approach has been demonstrated not only on full scale human lifting scenarios but also in smaller versions mounted on commercial robotic arms. These compact variants have lifted heavy and fragile items such as a watermelon, a glass vase, and a kettlebell, and have navigated through cluttered bins to retrieve specific objects. Researchers see potential for adapting the technology to agricultural harvesting, port and warehouse crane automation, and other heavy industry applications where adaptable, gentle, yet powerful gripping is required.
