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This Robot Hugs Objects To Bring & Hold Close To It & Is Strong Enough To Lift A Person

Robots are often imagined as rigid, metallic machines that grab, push, or lift objects using mechanical fingers or strong claws. But in the real world, many objects—from glassware to human bodies—need to be handled with a softness and care that traditional robots struggle to provide. Engineers at MIT and Stanford University have now solved this problem with a remarkable new invention: a vine-inspired robotic gripper that wraps, coils, and lifts with surprising gentleness, all while being strong enough to move heavy loads.

Inspired by the natural behavior of climbing vines, this new robotic system can safely grab fragile items like a glass vase, as well as heavy objects like a watermelon. Even more impressively, a large version can lift a human out of bed—a capability that could transform caregiving in hospitals, nursing homes, and home-care environments.

This breakthrough, presented in the journal Science Advances, represents a new direction in soft robotics. Instead of relying on stiff grippers or complex humanoid arms, the researchers have developed a flexible, inflatable, growing robotic vine capable of weaving itself around objects and forming a secure sling for lifting.

The Inspiration: Learning From Nature’s Climbing Vines

In horticulture, some vines are known for their powerful grip. As they grow, their tendrils twist around nearby structures with such force that they can topple fences or pull down trees. This natural mechanics fascinated engineers because vines achieve strength through geometry and growth, not rigid bones.

MIT and Stanford researchers studied how vines wrap around supports and maintain tension without crushing the surfaces they hold. This led to a key idea:
What if a robotic system could grow like a vine, wrap around an object, and then lift it without ever squeezing it like a claw?

That question sparked the development of a robotic system that grows long, inflatable tubes—much like turning a sock inside out—and uses them to form soft, enveloping grips.

How the Robotic Vine Works

At the heart of the system is a pressurized box placed near the target object. Inside it lies a rolled-up, thin, flexible, inflatable tube. When air pressure is applied, the tube begins to unfurl from its tip, inflating as it grows outward.

This mechanism allows the robotic vine to:

  • Extend long distances

  • Bend, twist, or snake around obstacles

  • Squeeze through tight, cluttered spaces

  • Wrap itself around irregular shapes

  • Grow underneath objects or even a person lying on a bed

Once the vine has wrapped fully around the object, it keeps growing until it reaches back toward its starting point—the pressurized box. Here, a built-in clamping system grabs the tube, closing the loop and securing the sling shape. Finally, a winch gently retracts the vine, lifting the object in a soft but stable grasp.

This approach is completely different from conventional robot grippers that pinch, grab, or clamp objects with rigid force. Instead, the vine gripper supports objects from below, just like a hammock.

Open-Loop to Closed-Loop: A Breakthrough in Soft Robotics

Traditional vine robots—pioneered earlier at Stanford—use an “open-loop” system. They grow outward, bend, and navigate tight spaces, but they do not reconnect to their base. They are essentially robotic strings, not loops.

But for lifting, researchers needed something more.

MIT Ph.D. candidate Kentaro Barhydt and his team realized that if a vine robot could transform from open-loop (free end) to closed-loop (connected end), it would create an entirely new capability:
the ability to form its own lifting sling.

This “loop closure” is the core innovation of the study. It combines the flexibility of soft growing robots with the strength and stability of traditional lifting equipment.

This combination enables:

  • Gentle grasping

  • Secure lifting

  • Adaptability to any shape

  • Minimal need for repositioning

  • Safe interaction with humans

Barhydt explains it simply:
“When grasping, positioning and holding require different behaviors. By switching between open and closed loops, the robot can use the best of both.”

A Gentle Helper for Eldercare

One of the most promising applications of the vine robot is in eldercare and rehabilitation.

Transferring a patient out of bed is one of the most physically taxing tasks for caregivers. Even with mechanical lifts, nurses must still roll and position patients manually—a process that risks back injuries for caregivers and discomfort for patients.

The vine robot offers a new possibility.

How It Lifts a Person Out of Bed

  1. Two vine units extend downward from a bar above the bed.

  2. The vines gently worm their way under the patient’s body—no manual turning required.

  3. As they extend and curve, the vines form a natural sling.

  4. Once the vines reach their boxes again, they are clamped.

  5. A winch slowly lifts the patient in a comfortable cradle.

Professor Harry Asada of MIT emphasizes the importance of this innovation:
“Human bodies are heavy but fragile. Our vine-inspired gripper lifts them safely and softly—something rigid robot hands cannot do.”

Stanford Professor Allison Okamura adds that soft robots like these can be low-cost, safe, and customizable to specific human needs—making them ideal for healthcare settings.

Beyond Healthcare: Many Potential Uses

While eldercare inspired the concept, the researchers quickly realized the technology’s much broader potential.

A smaller version of the vine gripper was attached to a commercial robotic arm. It was tested on various objects and environments to evaluate versatility.

Objects Successfully Lifted:

  • A watermelon

  • A glass vase

  • A heavy kettlebell

  • A playground ball

  • Metal rods

  • Items buried in clutter

The vine gripper could even navigate through a chaotic bin of objects, wrap around the desired item, and lift it out smoothly—something extremely difficult for rigid robot arms.

This could open new possibilities in:

  • Agriculture – gently harvesting fruits without bruising them

  • Warehouses – lifting awkwardly shaped heavy items

  • Cargo handling – automating cranes or hoists

  • Search and rescue – extracting fragile items from rubble

  • E-waste recycling – picking delicate but valuable components

Barhydt notes that the design could also support port and warehouse automation, where large-scale, safe lifting systems are urgently needed.

Why This Robot Is Different

Most robotic grippers rely on one of two mechanisms:

1. Rigid Mechanical Fingers

  • Precise

  • Strong

  • But risky for fragile objects

2. Vacuum or Suction Grippers

  • Good for flat surfaces

  • Limited in shape adaptability

  • Can drop objects if suction fails

The vine robot offers a completely different approach: soft wrapping and suspension.

Key Advantages:

  • Doesn’t squeeze or crush

  • Supports weight evenly like a sling

  • Adapts to any shape

  • Safe for human contact

  • Works in tight, cluttered spaces

  • Lifts both light and very heavy objects

  • Requires minimal repositioning

  • Low risk of damage

In essence, the robot “hugs” objects instead of pinching them.

Engineering Behind the Scenes

Although the system looks soft and simple, the technology behind it is highly sophisticated.

1. Controlled Pneumatic Growth

Each vine grows from the tip, not the base. The tube turns inside-out as it inflates, allowing it to grow without friction or resistance.

2. Directional Twisting

Air pressure is applied strategically, enabling the vine to twist and turn around obstacles.

3. Automatic Loop Closing

Sensors and calibration systems detect when the vine reaches the pressurized box again, triggering a clamp to secure the tube.

4. Winch-Based Lifting

Once secured, mechanical winches gently reel in the vine, lifting the object in a stable and balanced manner.

5. Material Strength and Flexibility

The tubes are made of reinforced yet lightweight polymer layers, strong enough to bear heavy loads yet soft enough to avoid damage.

Testing and Validation

To prove the gripper’s effectiveness, the team conducted multiple real-world trials.

Successful Demonstrations

  • Picking fragile objects without breaking them

  • Lifting awkward objects that traditional robots struggle with

  • Maneuvering through cluttered environments

  • Lifting a full-grown human safely

  • Forming stable loops that do not slip

Each trial showed that the robot could perform tasks once considered too delicate or complex for automated systems.

Implications for the Future of Robotics

This technology introduces a new era of soft, inflatable, shape-morphing robots. Unlike humanoid robots that attempt to mimic human hands, vine robots embrace a fundamentally different design idea—one rooted in nature.

Why Soft Robots Matter

Soft robotic systems are emerging as a powerful alternative because they are:

  • Safer around humans

  • Less expensive

  • More adaptable

  • Easier to deploy

  • Better at handling fragile objects

This vine robot blends strength with softness, opening the door to many real-world uses where rigidity is a disadvantage.

A New Design Space

Co-lead author O. Godson Osele emphasizes that this work is just the beginning:
“Loop closure opens an entire design space. We hope others explore its possibilities.”

Real-World Impact in Key Sectors

1. Healthcare and Eldercare

  • Patient transfer

  • Mobility assistance

  • Physical therapy

  • Safe lifting of disabled individuals

2. Industry and Logistics

  • Port crane automation

  • Cargo loading/unloading

  • Warehouse sorting

  • Handling fragile shipments

3. Agriculture

  • Harvesting delicate crops

  • Transporting produce gently

4. Emergency Response

  • Search and rescue

  • Navigating debris to retrieve objects

5. Home Assistance

  • Helping seniors or disabled individuals move

  • Picking objects from cluttered spaces

The broad applicability means industries worldwide could adopt vine robots to improve safety, efficiency, and comfort.

A Gentle Yet Strong Future for Robotics

This vine-inspired robotic gripper is a remarkable blend of engineering creativity and natural inspiration. By studying how vines grow, grip, and support weight, the researchers at MIT and Stanford have created a machine that redefines what a robot can be.

Instead of applying force, it applies form.
Instead of squeezing, it supports.
Instead of imitating human hands, it imitates nature’s quiet efficiency.

As soft robotics continues to evolve, inventions like this could reshape hospitals, homes, farms, factories, and disaster zones—making technology safer and more helpful than ever before.

The future of robotics may not look like metallic androids.
It may look like a gentle vine, growing softly toward the task at hand.

Reference: 

  • Kentaro Barhydt et al.,
Loop closure grasping: Topological transformations enable strong, gentle, and versatile grasps.Sci. Adv.11,eady9581(2025).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.ady9581

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