A simple robotic gripper made from a latex balloon filled with ordinary coffee grounds is demonstrating an inexpensive way to handle objects of different shapes without cameras or complex sensors. Coffee meets robotics The robotic gripper made from a latex balloon filled with ordinary coffee grounds demonstrates how low-cost materials can solve one of robotics‘ most challenging problems: reliably grasping objects of different shapes without complex hardware. As the air is extracted, the coffee grounds transition from a loose, flowing state into a rigid mass that molds itself around the object’s shape. The gripper works because loose coffee grounds behave much like a fluid, flowing around an object and filling gaps. Low-cost robot gripper Coffee grounds have proven especially effective because their irregular shapes and varying particle sizes interlock more efficiently than smoother materials.