VacuumVLA: A Two-in-One Robot Hand That Grips and Suctions
Robots guided by Vision-Language-Action (VLA) AI are getting better at everyday tasks—but most still use simple two-finger grippers. That limits them on smooth, flat, or handleless objects.
VacuumVLA is a low-cost robot hand that merges a standard two-finger gripper with a vacuum suction cup. The robot can switch between modes—or use both together—on the fly.
- Wipe glass and other wide surfaces
- Open drawers without handles
- Pick up flat items like lids or sheets
- Stabilize awkward objects by gripping and suctioning at once
The team integrated the tool into two leading VLA systems (DexVLA and Pi0) and showed it could complete complex tasks that defeat a gripper alone.
All hardware designs and control systems will be released. Read the paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.21557v1
Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.21557v1
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Robotics AI VLA Manipulation Hardware Suction Gripper Research OpenSource
