Sensorized objects used to quantitatively study distal grasping in the African elephant.

ABSTRACT: Nature evolved many ways to grasp objects without using hands: elephants, octopuses, and monkeys use highly dexterous appendices. From a roboticist's perspective, the elephant trunk is a fascinating manipulator, which strategies can empower robots' interaction capabilities. However, quantifying prehensile forces in such large animals in a safe, ethical, and reproducible manner is challenging. We developed two sensorized objects to investigate the grasping of an adult African elephant with deliberately occluded vision. A cylinder and a handle provided a distributed force (80 and 6 taxels) and inertial measurements in real-time, resisting dirt and shocks. The animal curled the distal portion of the trunk to grasp the tools. Using force and contact area data of the cylinder revealed the anima

SUBMITTER: Lo Preti M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10517398 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature