Fuente: WIPO "tomato" A soft shell gripper that relies upon suction (negative pressure) of an enclosed volume and wet and/or dry adhesion for purposes of robotic manipulation of objects for use in a myriad of fields and applications. The shell defines an enclosed volume to which negative pressure is applied following intimate contact with an object to be manipulated. The inclusion of spatially defined defects on the shell aids in tunability of the gripper.