[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/14774\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EElephant trunk inspires the universal robot gripper\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELucia Beccai, an expert in soft robotics at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, had an idea while watching a documentary about elephants. She was amazed by the versatility of their trunks, which can delicately remove a single leaf from a tree and then shift massive logs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat versatility was missing from today\u2019s robots. But what if researchers could emulate the anatomy and function of an elephant trunk? It could revolutionise how robots handle objects, with applications from helping around the house to searching for survivors in rubble.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe elephant trunk is really attractive because it\u2019s very dexterous and sensitive,\u201d said Beccai. \u201cIt is a sensory organ that is large\u2011scale, boneless, but extremely versatile. Today, its performance is unmatched in robotics.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat observation became the seed for PROBOSCIS, a five\u2011year EU\u2011funded research initiative that brought together biologists, engineers and materials scientists to decode the mechanics of the elephant\u2019s trunk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe goal was to move beyond today\u2019s specialised grippers and create a more universal robotic hand \u2013 one that can gently grasp a grape or firmly lift a heavy object, and adapt to a wide range of shapes and textures without major hardware changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ETrunks: one continuous structure\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday, most robots have a rigid arm with motorised joints and a gripper on the end \u2013 separate elements with distinct limitations. These robots cannot perform what Beccai calls \u201cwhole\u2011body manipulation\u201d: wrapping their entire arm around an object in a continuous, fluid way, unlike an elephant\u2019s trunk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe trunk is what biologists call a muscular hydrostat, just like an octopus tentacle or a human tongue. With more than 100\u0026nbsp;000 individual muscles and no skeleton, it can extend, contract, bend and twist in any direction simultaneously, with no distinction between arm and gripper \u2013 it is one continuous structure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe trunk is also remarkably strong, capable of carrying loads of almost 300 kilograms. African elephants even have two small finger\u2011like protrusions at the tip for more delicate tasks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESimple moves, complex results\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo better understand how the trunk works, Professor Michel Milinkovitch, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Geneva, led a team who turned to movie making techniques.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBands of reflective marker spots \u2013 like those used in blockbuster films \u2013 tracked precise trunk movements as elephants manipulated objects of different shapes, sizes and textures at a South African reserve. Footage was taken with high-speed cameras, capturing a surprisingly efficient system.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we realised is that they are combining a small set of behaviours,\u201d said Milinkovitch. \u201cShortening of some sections, elongations of some sections, bending of some sections, and they combine them to achieve the task.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EThe elephant trunk is really attractive because it\u2019s very dexterous. [\u2026] Today, its performance is unmatched in robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003ELucia Beccai, Italian Institute of Technology\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMilinkovitch found one movement particularly spectacular. When the elephants reached behind their heads \u2013 often to take a treat from a keeper \u2013 they did not just curl their trunk backwards.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead, they stuck out and temporarily stiffened the top section, creating two \u201cpseudo\u2011joints\u201d that functioned like a shoulder and an elbow, with the lower section swinging backwards to grab the treat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat was absolutely mind\u2011blowing, because nobody ever saw this before. They do it very fast,\u201d Milinkovitch said. It showed that the trunk can form distinct sections separated by joints.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team also performed anatomical studies on one male African and one male Asian elephant trunk, collected from deceased zoo animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E3D muscles\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo translate Milinkovitch\u0027s findings into robotics, Beccai\u0027s team focused on the trunk tip. They used 3D printing to merge sensing and artificial muscles, or actuators, into one seamless body. These pneumatic, balloon\u2011like structures extend and contract as they are inflated and deflated with air. By varying their size and geometry, the researchers can programme specific movements into the system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo create a trunk\u2011like soft robot, the researchers combined pneumatic actuators with a mesh\u2011like lattice structure that can deform in multiple directions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe device is printed in one continuous process from the same soft resin, including optical sensors that provide feedback on touch and the bending of the trunk tip.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe single material is key, Beccai said. \u201cThis is really important because it removes the material and mechanical interfaces between the different components, and that allows this continuity of motion, combined with sensory feedback.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe prototype can elongate, compress and bend, and also perform movements such as pinching, scooping and reaching. This design marks a step towards a truly universal gripper, capable of handling everything from soft, delicate objects to heavier, irregularly shaped items with a single, adaptable system.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research project wrapped up in April 2025, and while the soft robotic arm remains a laboratory demonstrator for now, the team says it already overcomes most of the design issues holding back today\u2019s robotic arms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGentle control\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the key insights from the elephants was about control. The trunk contains thousands of muscles, but the elephant does not control them all.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead, Beccai explained, their brains control a small number of muscle synergies discovered by Milinkovitch\u2019s team, coordinated collaborations of muscles to perform a movement. The trunk\u2019s physical structure handles the rest.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis showed researchers how to make functional soft robots viable outside the laboratory: design future systems around synergies, not individual actuators.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EMy dream is to build a system in healthcare that can help, for example, a disabled or elderly person by lifting them.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003ELucia Beccai, Italian Institute of Technology\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeccai hopes this will reduce complexity and energy demands, allowing devices to be battery powered and easier to deploy. She envisions wide practical applications, from soft fruit harvesting \u2013 a major challenge in today\u2019s robotics \u2013 to domestic tasks such as sorting laundry or handling fragile dishes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuch robots have potential in environmental applications, from handling debris and sorting waste to operating in fragile ecosystems without damaging surrounding plants, soil or marine life. In search and rescue, a soft arm could squeeze through rubble and use its sense of touch to help find people\u003Cem\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it is assistive robotics that Beccai cares about most. \u201cMy dream is to build a system in healthcare that can help, for example, a disabled or elderly person by lifting them, but at the same time hand over a fork or a fresh piece of fruit,\u201d Beccai said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA single robot, strong enough to assist with transfers yet gentle enough to handle daily objects, could allow people to live more independently. And unlike a conventional machine, its softness means it need not feel intimidating.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Beccai, the goal was never just a better gripper. It was a robot that feels natural to be around \u2013 strong when it needs to be, gentle when it matters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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