OMRON SINIC X Corporation (HQ: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masaki Suwa, hereinafter "OSX") will present the latest research findings at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2025) (hereinafter " ICRA 2025″).

ICRA 2025 is one of the world's largest and most influential international conferences on robotics and automation. In 2025, out of 4,153 submissions, 1,606 papers (approximately 38.67%) were accepted. The conference will be held in Atlanta, United States, from May 19 to May 23, 2025 (local time).

The research papers to be presented by OSX are as follows:

■SCU-Hand: Soft Conical Universal Robotic Hand for Scooping Granular Media from Containers of Various Sizes

Authors	Tomoya Takahashi, Cristian Camilo Beltran-Hernandez, Yuki Kuroda, Kazutoshi Tanaka, Masashi Hamaya, Yoshitaka Ushiku
Research Introduction	Automating small-scale experiments in materials science presents challenges due to the heterogeneous nature of experimental setups. This study introduces the SCU-Hand (Soft Conical Universal Robot Hand), a novel end-effector designed to automate the task of scooping powdered samples from containers of various sizes using a robotic arm. The SCU-Hand employs a flexible, conical structure that adapts to different container geometries through deformation, maintaining consistent contact without complex force sensing or machine learning-based control methods. Its reconfigurable mechanism allows for size adjustment, enabling efficient scooping from diverse container types. By combining soft robotics principles with a sheet-morphing design, our end-effector achieves high flexibility while retaining the necessary stiffness for effective powder manipulation. We detail the design principles, fabrication process, and experimental validation of the SCU-Hand. Experimental validation showed that the scooping capacity is about 20% higher than that of a commercial tool, with a scooping performance of more than 95% for containers of sizes between 67mm to 110mm. This research contributes to laboratory automation by offering a cost-effective, easily implementable solution for automating tasks such as materials synthesis and characterization processes.
Related Page	https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.04162 https://omron-sinicx.github.io/scu-hand/

※Author information is current as of the date of writing or submission. Please be advised that the information may become outdated after that point.

About OMRON SINIC X Corporation

OMRON SINIC X Corporation is a strategic subsidiary seeking to realize the "near-future design" that OMRON forecasts. It is comprised of researchers with cutting-edge knowledge and experience across a wide range of technological domains, including AI, Robotics, IoT, and Sensing. With the aim of addressing social issues, OSX integrates innovative technologies with business models and strategies in technology and IP to create near-future design. Additionally, the company accelerates the creation of these designs through collaborative research with universities and external research institutions.

◆Website: https://www.omron.com/sinicx/en/
◆Activities: https://www.omron.com/sinicx/en/activity/
For any inquiries about OSX, please contact us here.

OMRON SINIC X to Present Latest Research Findings at ICRA 2025, Top-tier Conference in the Field of Robotics