Sensorized adhesive gripper skin for underwater robotic
This technology is a smart gripping system designed to work underwater. It uses a set of suction-like adhesive pads that can be switched on or off by controlling air pressure, combined with proximity sensors that detect when an object is near. A controller reads the sensor signals and automatically activates the right adhesive pads to grab hold of whatever object is approaching. The result is an adaptive, sensor-guided underwater gripper that can attach to and release objects without human fine-tuning at the moment of contact.
What you could build
An end-effector module for underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) used in subsea inspection, salvage, or offshore energy maintenance; buyers would be ROV manufacturers, offshore oil-and-gas operators, and naval research programs.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia's concentration of naval and defense contractors (e.g., Newport News Shipbuilding, NAVSEA, Huntington Ingalls) and the naval research infrastructure at Dahlgren and Norfolk make this relevant to undersea systems integrators and defense primes.
Readiness: Concept
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Michael D. BARTLETT, Ravi Tej Anand TUTIKA, Eric MARKVICKA
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed January 13, 2025
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20260014712A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.