Numerical and experimental methods for the assessment of a human finger-inspired soft pneumatic actuator for gripping applications.

The increasing demand for soft robotic systems in agricultural, biomedical and other applications has driven the development of actuators that can mimic the flexibility and adaptability of human muscles. Several studies have explored the design and implementation of soft actuators for robotic applications, however, there is a need for soft actuators demonstrating delicate gripping capabilities but also excel in specific biomedical applications, such as therapeutic massaging. The objective of this work is to develop a multi-finger soft pneumatic actuator mimicking human fingers for Ayurvedic therapeutic massaging and gripping applications.