MERGING · Project

Robot Grippers That Handle Soft and Fragile Objects Without Damage

manufacturingTestedTRL 6

Imagine trying to pick up a silk scarf, a thin sheet of carbon fiber, or a flimsy plastic bag with a metal robot hand — you'd crush or drop it every time. This project built a smart gripper with an electrically-charged skin that gently sticks to soft objects the way a balloon clings to your sweater after rubbing it. The gripper adjusts its grip in real time so it never squeezes too hard, and it's designed so regular factory workers — not robotics PhDs — can set it up and use it. They tested it on three real production lines: lingerie sewing, composite bus panel assembly, and food packaging.

By the numbers

industrial demonstration sectors (lingerie, composites, food packaging)

consortium partners

countries represented

TRL 4 to TRL 6

technology maturity progression

SME partners in consortium

64%

industry partner ratio

The business problem

What needed solving

Manufacturers in textiles, composites, and food packaging still rely heavily on manual labor for handling soft, flexible, and fragile objects — because conventional robot grippers either crush them or can't hold on. This bottleneck blocks automation of entire production steps, drives up labor costs, and limits throughput.

The solution

What was built

A turnkey robotic gripping system with electro-adhesive skin that conforms to soft objects without damaging them, plus real-time perception and supervision software, and a non-specialist programming interface. Demonstrated in 3 sectors: lingerie fabric, composite bus panels, and food packaging plastic bags.

Audience

Who needs this

Textile and garment manufacturers automating fabric handlingComposite panel producers in automotive, aerospace, or bus manufacturingFood packaging companies handling flexible pouches and bagsAny manufacturer struggling to automate handling of soft, flexible, or fragile partsRobotics integrators looking for soft-object gripping solutions to offer clients

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Textile and Garment Manufacturing

SME

Target: Lingerie, sportswear, or technical textile manufacturers

If you are a garment manufacturer struggling to automate fabric handling because standard grippers crush or drop delicate textiles — this project developed an electro-adhesive gripper that conforms to soft fabrics without damage. It was specifically demonstrated on lingerie manufacturing, moving from lab validation (TRL 4) to proof of concept in realistic conditions (TRL 6). The system is designed for non-specialist programming, meaning your existing operators can set it up.

Composite Materials and Automotive

mid-size

Target: Bus, automotive, or aerospace composite panel manufacturers

If you are a composite panel manufacturer dealing with manual handling of flexible carbon or glass fiber sheets that are fragile and hard to grip — this project built a robotic system tested specifically on composite bus panel manufacturing. The electro-adhesive skin applies gentle surface-level grip forces instead of clamping pressure, reducing fiber damage. It was validated with 14 consortium partners including industrial end-users.

Food Packaging

any

Target: Food packaging and processing companies

If you are a food packaging company where workers manually handle flexible plastic bags and pouches on production lines — this project developed a gripper that can reliably pick up and place flimsy plastic packaging without puncturing or dropping it. The system was demonstrated in food industry conditions with real-time perception that adapts to different bag sizes and shapes. Partner THIMONNIER introduced the polymer handling use case directly from industry needs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would this system cost to deploy on my production line?

The project does not publish specific pricing. However, the stated design goals were 'versatile, easy-to-use and low-cost,' and the exploitation partner OMNIGRASP plans to release the electro-adhesive gripper commercially after the project ended (October 2023). Contact the consortium for current pricing.

Can this scale to high-volume production?

The project was specifically designed with scaling up in mind — they moved proven lab technologies (TRL 4) to proof of concept in realistic factory environments (TRL 6) across 3 different industrial sectors. The system includes real-time perception and supervision to adapt to changing production conditions without manual reprogramming.

Who owns the IP and how can I license it?

The coordinator CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) leads the consortium of 14 partners. OMNIGRASP is specifically responsible for commercializing the electro-adhesive gripper after the project. OPTEAMUM handles exploitation of results. Licensing inquiries should be directed to these partners.

How hard is it to integrate with our existing robot systems?

The system was designed for 'robot system programming accessible to non-specialists,' meaning your operators should be able to configure it without robotics expertise. CASP handled software integration and OPTEAMUM handled hardware integration within the consortium. The perception system adapts behavior in real time to execution conditions.

Has this been tested in real factory conditions?

The project ran 3 demonstration scenarios in realistic environments: fabric handling for lingerie manufacturing (with SELMARK), technical fiber handling for composite bus panels (with VDL), and plastic bag handling for food industry (with THIMONNIER). These moved from TRL 4 laboratory validation to TRL 6 proof of concept in relevant conditions.

Does this meet safety regulations for human-robot collaboration?

Based on available project data, the deliverable on perception functionalities includes verification of hardware and software dependability for human-robot interaction, with multiple scenario validation runs. The system was tested to ensure adequate deployment safety in the 3 demonstration scenarios. Specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned in the data.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a well-balanced industrial consortium with 14 partners across 8 European countries (France, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, UK). The 64% industry ratio and 9 SME partners signal strong commercial intent — this is not a purely academic exercise. The value chain is complete: CEA and EPFL provide core robotics and electro-adhesion technology, AIMEN and LMS handle perception and control, three industrial end-users (SELMARK, VDL, THIMONNIER) bring real manufacturing problems from textile, composite, and food sectors, and dedicated partners handle software integration (CASP), hardware integration (OPTEAMUM), and commercial exploitation (OMNIGRASP). The coordinator CEA is one of Europe's largest research organizations with a strong track record in technology transfer.

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESCoordinator · FR
SYMVOULOI KAI PROIONTA LOGISMIKOU CONSULTING AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS C.A.S.P. ANONYMOS ETAIREIAparticipant · EL
ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION METALURGICA DEL NOROESTEparticipant · ES
CENTRE TECHNIQUE INDUSTRIEL DE LA PLASTURGIE ET DES COMPOSITESparticipant · FR
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNEparticipant · CH
VDL FIBERTECH INDUSTRIES BVparticipant · NL
PANEPISTIMIO PATRONparticipant · EL
THE SHADOW ROBOT COMPANY LIMITEDparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), France — or OMNIGRASP for commercial gripper inquiries

Order a report on this consortium See COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how electro-adhesive gripping can automate your soft object handling? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the MERGING team and help evaluate fit for your production line.

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