Soft robotics grippers in 2026: overview
Soft robotics grippers use flexible or deformable structures to grasp and handle objects. Their compliant contact can help robots manage fragile, irregular or poorly positioned products without the rigid alignment conventional tooling often requires. The trade-off is control: deformation can make grip force, position and repeatability harder to predict. Reliable sensing, adaptable actuation and robust materials are central to moving these grippers from demonstrations into demanding production tasks.
Recent work is pushing toward adaptive, sensed grasping. In October 2026, Yanshan University reported a variable-structure actuator for multi-mode grasping, while Ningbo University reported an electronics-free, fault-tolerant hybrid gripper in September 2026. Ritsumeikan University’s September 2026 oyster-handling study targets faster food pick-and-place, and National Taiwan University’s August 2026 kirigami-inspired liquid-crystal-elastomer gripper integrates strain sensing. The University of Groningen’s August 2026 work on quantitative evaluation also highlights a field-wide need for comparable performance measures.
- 1Sensing meets compliance: Integrated pressure, strain and tactile sensing is shifting grippers from passive accommodation toward more informed handling, while reliable feedback remains a design challenge.
- 2Dexterity is advancing: Reconfigurable actuators and modular fingers are extending soft grippers beyond stable holding toward in-hand rotation and task-specific grasping.
- 3Applications are diverging: Food handling emphasizes speed and low-damage contact, while underwater and electronics applications demand sensing and materials suited to their operating environments.
Top organizations working on soft robotics grippers
Ranked by Linknovate activity score · last 24 monthsThe activity score adds up the relevance of every patent, publication, grant and news item linking an organization to soft robotics grippers. Showing 7 of 369 organizations.
| # | Organization | Approach | Signals (24 mo) | Momentum | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
Zhejiang University
Research · China |
Adhesion and suction | PUB 30 · NEWS 5 | +118% | Recently, researchers developed an active morphable suction gripper driven by elastic gridshells to improve conformity and stability on curved surfaces. |
| 2 | 
Soft Robotics Inc.
Startup · United States |
Pneumatic and hydraulic fingers | NEWS 26 | -63% | It develops automated picking systems built around proprietary soft robotic grippers, machine vision, and AI for handling products. |
| 3 | 
Harbin Institute of Technology
Research · China |
Adhesion and suction | PUB 23 · NEWS 1 | +18% | Researchers are developing soft end-effectors that combine shape-memory-alloy actuation with electrostatic adhesion for climbing and grasping robots. |
| 4 | 
South China University of Technology
Research · China |
Smart-material actuation | PUB 21 | -60% | Recently, researchers presented a laminar shape-memory-alloy soft gripper designed to combine increased load capacity with contact detection. |
| 5 | 
Shanghai JiaoTong University
Research · China |
General | PUB 23 · NEWS 3 | +60% | Researchers are designing multimaterial soft grippers with dual-mode pinching for confined-space grasping and programming gripper shape and interaction forces for compliant handling. |
| 6 | 
Chinese Academy of Sciences CAS
Research · China |
Adhesion and suction | PUB 23 · NEWS 8 | +110% | Recently, researchers presented a bioinspired multimodal soft gripper with intuitive teleoperation and distal sensing for manipulation in constrained spaces. |
| 7 | 
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Research · China |
Adhesion and suction | PUB 21 · NEWS 1 | -31% | Researchers are developing versatile grippers that combine grasping and suction, including designs for handling objects across different scales and physical states. |
| 8 | ··Hidden organizationCompany | Approach | PAT 00 · PUB 00 GRANTS 0 · NEWS 00 | +00% | Available to registered users. |
| 9 | ··Hidden organizationCompany | Approach | PAT 00 · PUB 00 GRANTS 0 · NEWS 00 | +00% | Available to registered users. |
| 10 | ··Hidden organizationCompany | Approach | PAT 00 · PUB 00 GRANTS 0 · NEWS 00 | +00% | Available to registered users. |
Leading research centers
Leading research institutions 352 total
- Zhejiang UniversityChinaRecently, researchers developed an active morphable suction gripper driven by elastic gridshells to improve conformity and stability on curved surfaces.
- Harbin Institute of TechnologyChinaResearchers are developing soft end-effectors that combine shape-memory-alloy actuation with electrostatic adhesion for climbing and grasping robots.
- South China University of TechnologyChinaRecently, researchers presented a laminar shape-memory-alloy soft gripper designed to combine increased load capacity with contact detection.
- ··Hidden research institutionCountryAvailable to registered users, with their key researchers.
- ··Hidden research institutionCountryAvailable to registered users, with their key researchers.
Where soft robotics grippers innovation happens
Share of documents with at least one organization from each country.
Open the interactive map with all 369 organizationsMain technical approaches
Last 24 months| Approach | What it is | Documents | Leading organizations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumatic and hydraulic fingers | Pressure-driven chambers bend around objects and provide adaptable contact, but require fluid supply, tubing and pressure control. | 96 |
Harbin Institute of Technology, South China University of Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology |
| Cable-driven compliant fingers | Tendons pull flexible fingers to produce controlled motion, but cable routing, friction and tension management complicate design. | 102 |
Charles III University of Madrid, Universitaa Degli Studi Of Perugia, South China University of Technology |
| Jamming-based gripping | A membrane or granular structure changes stiffness when pressure changes, offering adaptable conformity but requiring a vacuum system. | 30 |
Chinese University of Hong Kong, College Engineering, Shanghai Dianji University |
| Adhesion and suction | Suction or surface adhesion secures objects with limited finger contact, but performance depends on surface properties and reliable sealing. | 78 |
Korea National University of Transportation, Chinese Academy of Sciences CAS, Diakont |
| Smart-material actuation | Responsive materials deform under electrical, thermal or other stimuli, enabling compact actuation but often adding control and response-time constraints. | 116 |
Hefei University of Technology, Soft Robotics Inc., TU Dresden |
Emerging trends
Last 12 months vs previous 36 monthsTerms whose frequency in the last 12 months grew the most compared with the previous 36 months.
Funding and investment
Recent funding rounds
FACTS records $72,121,635 across 35 grants since 2020. These figures describe the grant records associated with this topic.
Patent landscape
Top patent holders · last 24 monthsRecent developments
Latest news, duplicates removed- Oct 2026A new soft robotic gripper combines flexible fingers and rotational motion to manipulate objects without releasing them, opening possibilities for electronics assembly, logistics, and collaborative robotics. Researchers…Electronics For You
- Sep 2026Modern automation needs to handle more than rigid and durable materials. Many industries work with products that can bruise, crack, deform, or break when handled with excessive force. Fruits, vegetables, baked goods…Red Blog
- Jul 2026Evolution has already found solutions to lots of problems, so engineers more often borrow ideas from nature instead of reinventing the wheel. We’ve previously seen robots that can curl up like armadillos to protect…New Atlas - New Technology & Science News
- Jun 2026A new robotic gripper designed to pick fruit could mean supermarket shoppers enjoy better quality produce as well as new options like pawpaws, a West Virginia University researcher said. Anand Mishra, assistant…HD.com
- Month 20XXHidden developmentAvailable to registered users with alerts enabled.
Frequently asked questions about soft robotics grippers
What companies are working on soft robotics grippers?
Soft Robotics Inc. is a named specialist, and FACTS lists 17 companies and 1 startup in this field. The company develops automated picking systems using soft grippers, machine vision and AI. Schmalz Inc., RightHand Robotics, Piab and Yaskawa appear among organizations associated with food and agriculture applications; ABB Group is listed in logistics and manufacturing applications.
Which soft robotics gripper startups are most promising in 2026?
Soft Robotics Inc. is the 1 startup identified in FACTS, which lists 17 companies overall. It develops automated picking systems built around proprietary soft robotic grippers, machine vision and AI. The available facts support identifying this company, but do not provide comparative performance, commercial traction or investment data to rank startups by promise.
Which universities and research centers lead soft robotics gripper research?
Zhejiang University has 35 recent-window documents, Chinese Academy of Sciences CAS has 31, and Shanghai JiaoTong University has 26. These organizations are among the most active research groups in the supplied data. Their work includes morphable suction, multimodal sensing and grippers for confined-space manipulation; document activity is an indicator of research output, not a quality ranking.
How much funding has soft robotics grippers received?
FACTS records $72,121,635 across 35 grants since 2020. This is the funding total associated with grant records for the topic. The supplied funding-round entries do not establish a reliable set of soft-gripper-specific investment rounds, so they are not a sound basis for adding a venture-funding total.
Who holds the most soft robotics gripper patents?
Bridgestone leads the listed patent holders with 4 patents. Wayne State University and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. each have 2 listed patents. The holder data also names the University of Arkansas, Mitsubishi Electric, Hunan University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and Oxipital AI, each with 1.
Is soft robotics gripper patent activity growing?
No: patent activity declined 55.6% in the last 12 months versus the previous 12 months. Publication output declined 11.2% over the same comparison, while overall activity declined 1.5%. These figures describe changes in recorded activity, not a forecast of future patenting or commercial adoption.
What are the latest developments in soft robotics grippers?
October 2026 publications from Yanshan University describe a variable-structure actuator for multi-mode grasping and an electronics-free hybrid gripper was reported by Ningbo University in September 2026. Ritsumeikan University reported a high-speed oyster-handling gripper in September 2026. In August 2026, National Taiwan University presented a kirigami-inspired gripper with strain sensing.
What are the main approaches to soft robotics grippers, and how do they differ?
The listed approaches are pneumatic and hydraulic fingers, cable-driven compliant fingers, jamming-based gripping, adhesion and suction, and smart-material actuation. They differ in how they generate motion or hold an object: pressure, tendon tension, stiffness change, surface attachment or material response. Each trades adaptability against system complexity, sensing needs or constraints imposed by the object and environment.
Which countries lead soft robotics grippers?
The United States leads with 2,169 documents, followed by China with 1,806. Japan has 563, Germany 546 and the United Kingdom 520. These country figures reflect recorded documents associated with the topic; they indicate research and innovation activity rather than market share or installed gripper systems.
What are the applications of soft robotics grippers?
Healthcare and assistive technology has 113 documents, manufacturing and electronics has 98, logistics and warehousing has 87, and food and agriculture has 61. These applications use compliant grasping for tasks involving fragile, irregular or varied products. Recent examples include oyster handling, mushroom harvesting and fruit classification and handling.