PROBOSCIS · Project

Elephant-Inspired Soft Robotic Gripper That Handles Any Shape or Size

manufacturingPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Imagine a robot arm that works like an elephant's trunk — strong enough to lift heavy objects, yet gentle enough to pick up a grape without crushing it. That's what this project built. The team studied real elephants in Africa, mapped every muscle and nerve in an actual trunk, then engineered a soft robotic arm with artificial skin that can feel what it's touching. The result is a gripper that adapts to virtually any object shape, size, or weight, something rigid industrial robots still struggle with.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries in consortium

total project deliverables

demonstration deliverables including final prototype and tactile skin

industry partner in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Industrial robots today use rigid grippers that need to be swapped or reconfigured for every different product shape, size, or material. This creates downtime, limits flexibility, and makes it nearly impossible to automate mixed-item handling in warehouses, food processing, or care environments. Companies that handle diverse or delicate objects still rely heavily on manual labor because no single robotic gripper can adapt the way a human hand — or an elephant trunk — does.

The solution

What was built

The team built a final soft robotic prototype inspired by the elephant trunk, along with a bioinspired large-area tactile skin that was fabricated and tested, multimodal sensing components that detect pressure, tangential forces, and fluid flow, and a full 3D high-resolution anatomical model of the elephant trunk with material properties mapped.

Audience

Who needs this

Warehouse automation companies struggling with mixed-item pickingFood processing firms handling delicate or irregularly shaped productsAssistive robotics manufacturers building safe human-interaction devicesAgricultural harvesting equipment makers needing gentle crop handlingSearch and rescue equipment developers needing adaptable manipulation in debris

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Logistics and Warehousing

enterprise

Target: Warehouse automation and fulfillment companies

If you are a logistics company dealing with mixed-item picking where every package is a different shape and size — this project developed a soft robotic manipulator with tactile skin that adapts its grip to each object automatically. Unlike rigid grippers that need custom tooling for each product type, this trunk-inspired arm handles solids, irregularly shaped items, and even delicate goods with one device. The system was prototyped and tested with multimodal sensing that detects pressure and tangential forces.

Food Processing and Packaging

mid-size

Target: Fresh produce handling and packaging companies

If you are a food processor struggling with damage rates when handling soft or irregularly shaped products like fruit, baked goods, or fresh meat — this project developed a touch-sensitive soft gripper that adjusts its force in real time. The tactile skin detects pressure and shear forces, letting the arm grip firmly enough to move items but gently enough not to bruise or deform them. The 5-partner consortium tested multimodal sensing components designed for exactly this kind of delicate manipulation.

Assistive Robotics and Healthcare

any

Target: Assistive device manufacturers and rehabilitation robotics companies

If you are a medical device company developing assistive robots for elderly care or rehabilitation — this project built a soft continuum arm with human-safe materials and embedded touch sensing. Unlike rigid robotic arms that pose injury risks, this elephant-inspired design is inherently compliant and can safely interact with people. The team developed proprioceptive artificial muscles and a tough tactile skin, both manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques suitable for customization.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this gripper technology?

The project was coordinated by Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, a public research institute. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium. As a FET Open research project, IP is typically held by the partners who generated it, meaning multiple negotiations may be needed for the full system.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The prototype was built using additive manufacturing (3D printing) from proprietary material compositions. While this enables rapid customization, scaling to mass production would require transitioning from lab-scale 3D printing to industrial manufacturing processes. The project delivered a final prototype, not a production-ready product.

What is the IP situation — who owns the patents?

IP from EU-funded RIA projects is owned by the partners who generated it. With 5 partners across 4 countries (Italy, UK, Switzerland, Israel), the IP portfolio is likely distributed. Key areas include the tactile skin materials, sensing components, control algorithms, and the additive manufacturing processes. A freedom-to-operate assessment would be needed.

How does this compare to existing industrial grippers?

Conventional industrial grippers are rigid and task-specific — you need different end-effectors for different products. This trunk-inspired design uses a continuum soft arm with embedded tactile sensing that adapts to any object shape and size. The multimodal sensing detects pressure, tangential forces, and fluid flow, giving it capabilities no current commercial gripper offers.

What was actually built and tested?

The consortium delivered 13 deliverables including a final prototype of the robotic trunk, an extended bioinspired tactile skin fabricated and tested, multimodal sensing components for pressure and tangential forces, and a full 3D high-resolution anatomical model of an elephant trunk. These were lab-validated prototypes, not industrial pilots.

Is there regulatory approval needed for deployment?

For industrial use in manufacturing or logistics, the system would need to comply with machinery safety directives (CE marking) and collaborative robot standards. For assistive or medical applications, regulatory requirements are significantly higher and would require clinical validation not covered in this project.

Consortium

Who built it

The PROBOSCIS consortium brings together 5 partners from 4 countries (Italy, UK, Switzerland, Israel), led by Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia — one of Europe's top robotics research institutes. The team is heavily research-oriented with 3 universities and 1 research organization, plus 1 industry partner (20% industry ratio) and zero SMEs. This composition is typical for a FET Open frontier research project: strong on science and prototyping, but a business adopter would need to bridge the gap between lab prototype and commercial product. The international spread across 4 countries suggests diverse expertise but also means IP and licensing negotiations could involve multiple jurisdictions.

FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIACoordinator · IT
UNIVERSITE DE GENEVEparticipant · CH
SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNAparticipant · IT
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMparticipant · IL

How to reach the team

Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy — contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the research team.

Order a report on this consortium See FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how this adaptive gripper technology could solve your handling challenges? SciTransfer can arrange a direct conversation with the PROBOSCIS research team and prepare a tailored technical brief for your use case.

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