The biomedical research of Tori Snyder ‘23 and Marigordon Varner ‘23 was recently published in the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics, in which they expound upon the recommended use of soft robotic techniques in advanced medical prosthetics
Sand is a fascinating compound — a collection of tiny grains that has the ability to flow like liquid. Yet, when compressed, sand solidifies. Hardens. It almost grips whatever it is that surrounds it, pouring into every crack and crevice.
Now consider magnets, with their unique ability to attract and repel. When positioned just right, opposite poles of magnets create an invisible force that pulls them together. That grips them together.
These compounds and properties inspired the work of two recent Presbyterian College physics graduates, Tori Snyder ‘23 and Marigordon Varner ‘23, whose publication in the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics was accepted the fall after their graduation in 2023.
Their article, “Utilization of Magnetically Induced Jamming in a Novel Soft Robotic Gripper,” outlines their research with physics professor and mentor Dr. Eli Owens. Together, the team examined ways to create advanced medical prosthetics and industrial grippers that would be both cost-effective and entirely functional, allowing the user to grasp everyday items.
“Many open-source prosthetics provide relatively inexpensive devices, but they often sacrifice the ability to grip irregularly shaped or smooth objects,” states the article abstract. “For instance, doorknobs are difficult to grip using the typical hard robotics approach but can be gripped using soft robotic techniques.”
Soft robotics, a subset of robotics, uses materials that more closely resemble the physical characteristics of living things. Drawing upon their knowledge of granular compounds, like sand, as well as magnets, Snyder and Varner used ferromagnetic granular materials (iron filings) to grip an object via the granular jamming transition. The transition is induced with an external magnetic field, allowing the iron filings to strengthen and relax its grip.
“All of the work for the publication was entirely directed by these students,” said Owens. “Tori and Marigordon have presented this work for years, so they drew from those experiences and began drafting the article. I offered help on the initial direction of the article and final tweaks, but for the most part they made it happen themselves.”
During the course of their research, Snyder and Varner were able to create a prototype of a granular, soft robotic gripper. The prototype was successful in gripping different types of objects and helping the user complete useful tasks. They also found that in using a magnetic field to induce jamming, the granular materials were able to be jammed more quickly than similar devices.
Snyder and Varner’s research was funded by SC INBRE, a program by the National Institutes of Health to develop biomedical research capacity in South Carolina and other states. PC is part of the INBRE network and receives annual funding for mentored student research. PC students and their mentors must prepare a research proposal and apply to receive research funding; if selected, the group receives supply money, housing and a salary for the 8-week summer program.
“Undergraduate research is very strong at PC,” said Owens. “We have been very successful in the sciences at large, and our undergraduates frequently have opportunities to attend conferences and get involved with real-world experiences. This gives students the opportunity to explore whether science is a good fit for their career or further academic experiences.”
Following graduation in 2023, Varner joined the engineering firm Wood to work as a material handling specialist. Snyder is now a physics graduate student at Vanderbilt.
To learn more about the Physics Department at Presbyterian College, visit the program website.
