A vacuum gripper for gripping an object surface, the vacuum gripper being a portable or hand-held vacuum gripper and comprising, prior to its being brought into contact with the object surface: a rigid base element having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, the second side having a central area and a periphery surrounding the central area; a loop-shaped vacuum seal element having: - an attachment surface, at which it is mounted at least indirectly to the periphery of the second side of the rigid base element; - a protruding portion free of contact with the rigid base element and protruding therefrom, along an entire extension of the attachment surface, in a direction away from the first side of the base element; - a contact surface constituting a part of the protruding portion and configured to be brought into at least a partial contact with said object surface, the vacuum seal element being elastically deformable at least at the contact surface to enable the contact surface to conform to the object surface when pressed thereagainst; and - an inner encircling surface facing in a direction towards the central area and an outer encircling surface facing in a direction away from the inner encircling surface, both surfaces extending between the contact and the attachment surfaces; a chamber defined by the protruding portion with said central area at the second side of the rigid base element; an air extraction means mounted to the first side of the base element so as to be in fluid communication with said chamber through the base element, and configured to continuously extract air from the chamber to cause the contact surface to be urged towards and thereby grip the object surface when pressed thereagainst; and characterised in that it comprises at least one bracing structure protruding from the second side of the base element to a lesser extent than that of the vacuum seal element, and made of a material which is more rigid than that of the vacuum seal element; wherein the bracing structure extends along a part of the periphery which is free of contact with the vacuum seal element; and wherein said bracing structure is made of a material which is less rigid than that of the base element. portable or hand-held vacuum gripper and comprising, prior to its being brought into contact with the object surface: a rigid base element having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, the second side having a central area and a periphery surrounding the central area; a loop-shaped vacuum seal element having: - an attachment surface, at which it is mounted at least indirectly to the periphery of the second side of the rigid base element; - a protruding portion free of contact with the rigid base element and protruding therefrom, along an entire extension of the attachment surface, in a direction away from the first side of the base element; - a contact surface - an attachment surface, at which it is mounted at least indirectly to the periphery of the second side of the rigid base element; - a protruding portion free of contact with the rigid base element and protruding therefrom, along an entire extension of the attachment surface, in a direction away from the first side of the base element; - a contact surface constituting a part of the protruding portion and configured to be brought into at least a partial contact with said object surface, the vacuum seal element being elastically deformable at least at the contact surface to enable the contact surface to conform to the object surface when pressed thereagainst; and - an inner encircling surface facing in a direction towards the central area and an outer encircling surface facing in a direction away from the inner encircling surface, both surfaces extending between the contact and the attachment surfaces; - an inner encircling surface facing in a direction towards the central area and an outer encircling surface facing in a direction away from the inner encircling surface, both surfaces extending between the contact and the attachment surfaces; a chamber defined by the protruding portion with said central area at the second side of the rigid base element; an air extraction means mounted to the first side of the base element so as to be in fluid communication with said chamber through the base element, and configured to continuously extract air from the chamber to cause the contact surface to be urged towards and thereby grip the object surface when pressed thereagainst; and characterised in that it comprises at least one bracing structure protruding from the second side of the base element to a lesser extent than that of the vacuum seal element, and made of a material which is more rigid than that of the vacuum seal element; wherein the bracing structure extends along a part of the periphery which is free of contact with the vacuum seal element; and wherein said bracing structure is made of a material which is less rigid than that of the base element.