RALEIGH, NC—Engineers at North Carolina State University have developed a robotic gripper that is gentle enough to pick up a drop of water, strong enough to pick up a 14-pound weight, dexterous enough to fold a cloth, and precise enough to pick up strips of film that are 20 times thinner than a human hair.

In addition to possible manufacturing applications, the gripper is embedded with technology that allows it to be controlled by the electrical signals produced by forearm muscles, demonstrating its potential for use with robotic prosthetics.