Journal articles on the topic 'Soft robots material and design'
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1
Morales, Jorge Eduardo, Francisco Ramírez Cruz, and Francisco Eugenio López Guerrero. "An agile multi-body additively manufactured soft actuator for soft manipulators." Ingenierias 23, no. 89 (October 1, 2020): 14–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.29105/ingenierias23.89-4.
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With the introduction of collaborative robots in production environments, the harm to workers by using traditional robots with rigid links is inherent. A new generation of robots made from flexible soft materials that decreases collision danger by self-deforming actions has been proposed as a promising solution for the human-robot collaboration environments. Recently, by the development of additive manufacture of elastic soft materials, new design opportunities arise for these so-called soft robots. However, robustness that is required for production environments is still not achieved. This paper presents a design approach of a fully additively manufactured three-axis soft pneumatic actuator. For its use in flexible soft robotic manipulator systems, design guidelines, a direct 3D printing process with elastic materials and a low-level PLC semi-automated pressure regulation control system are presented. To validate the proposed design, the actuator is manufactured and tested for maximum contact force, bending motion reaction and its signal response.
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Rieffel, John, Davis Knox, Schuyler Smith, and Barry Trimmer. "Growing and Evolving Soft Robots." Artificial Life 20, no. 1 (January 2014): 143–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/artl_a_00101.
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Completely soft and flexible robots offer to revolutionize fields ranging from search and rescue to endoscopic surgery. One of the outstanding challenges in this burgeoning field is the chicken-and-egg problem of body-brain design: Development of locomotion requires the preexistence of a locomotion-capable body, and development of a location-capable body requires the preexistence of a locomotive gait. This problem is compounded by the high degree of coupling between the material properties of a soft body (such as stiffness or damping coefficients) and the effectiveness of a gait. This article synthesizes four years of research into soft robotics, in particular describing three approaches to the co-discovery of soft robot morphology and control. In the first, muscle placement and firing patterns are coevolved for a fixed body shape with fixed material properties. In the second, the material properties of a simulated soft body coevolve alongside locomotive gaits, with body shape and muscle placement fixed. In the third, a developmental encoding is used to scalably grow elaborate soft body shapes from a small seed structure. Considerations of the simulation time and the challenges of physically implementing soft robots in the real world are discussed.
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Tomori, Hiroki, Kenta Hiyoshi, Shonosuke Kimura, Naoya Ishiguri, and Taisei Iwata. "A Self-Deformation Robot Design Incorporating Bending-Type Pneumatic Artificial Muscles." Technologies 7, no. 3 (July 23, 2019): 51. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/technologies7030051.
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With robots becoming closer to humans in recent years, human-friendly robots made of soft materials provide a new line of research interests. We designed and developed a soft robot that can move via self-deformation toward the practical application of monitoring children and the elderly on a daily basis. The robot’s structure was built out of flexible frames, which are bending-type pneumatic artificial muscles (BPAMs). We first provide a description and discussion on the nature of BPAM, followed by static characteristics experiment. Although the BPAM theoretical model shares a similar tendency with the experimental results, the actual BPAMs moved along the depth direction. We then proposed and demonstrated an effective locomotion method for the robot and calculated its locomotion speed by measuring its drive time and movement distance. Our results confirmed the reasonability of the robot’s speed for monitoring children and the elderly. Nevertheless, during the demonstration, some BPAMs were bent sharply by other activated BPAMs as the robot was driving, leaving a little damage on these BPAMs. This will be addressed in our future work.
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Booth, Joran W., Dylan Shah, Jennifer C. Case, Edward L. White, Michelle C. Yuen, Olivier Cyr-Choiniere, and Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio. "OmniSkins: Robotic skins that turn inanimate objects into multifunctional robots." Science Robotics 3, no. 22 (September 19, 2018): eaat1853. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aat1853.
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Robots generally excel at specific tasks in structured environments but lack the versatility and the adaptability required to interact with and locomote within the natural world. To increase versatility in robot design, we present robotic skins that can wrap around arbitrary soft bodies to induce the desired motions and deformations. Robotic skins integrate actuation and sensing into a single conformable material and may be leveraged to create a multitude of controllable soft robots with different functions or gaits to accommodate the demands of different environments. We show that attaching the same robotic skin to a soft body in different ways, or to different soft bodies, leads to distinct motions. Further, we show that combining multiple robotic skins enables complex motions and functions. We demonstrate the versatility of this soft robot design approach in a wide range of applications—including manipulation tasks, locomotion, and wearables—using the same two-dimensional (2D) robotic skins reconfigured on the surface of various 3D soft, inanimate objects.
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Su, Manjia, Rongzhen Xie, Yihong Zhang, Xiaopan Kang, Dongyu Huang, Yisheng Guan, and Haifei Zhu. "Pneumatic Soft Actuator with Anisotropic Soft and Rigid Restraints for Pure in-Plane Bending Motion." Applied Sciences 9, no. 15 (July 26, 2019): 2999. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app9152999.
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A variety of soft robots with prospective applications has been developed in recent years. As a key component of a soft robot, the soft actuator plays a critical role and hence must be designed carefully according to application requirements. The soft body may deform in undesired directions if no restraint is endued, due to the isotropy of the pure soft material. For some soft robots such as an inchworm-like biped climbing robot, the actuation direction must be constrained with the appropriate structure design of the soft actuator. This study proposes a pneumatic soft actuator (PSA) to achieve pure in-plane bending motion with anisotropic soft and rigid restraints. The in-plane bending pneumatic soft actuator (2D-PSA) is developed with a composite structure where a metal hinge belt is embedded into the soft material. The design method, material choice, and fabrication process are presented in detail in this paper. Tests are conducted to measure the actuating performance of 2D-PSA in terms of the relationship between the bending angle or force and the input air pressure. Dynamic response is also measured with a laser tracker. Furthermore, a comparative experiment is carried out between the presented 2D-PSA and a general PSA, with results verifying the effectiveness of the presented 2D-PSA. A robot consisting of two serially-connected 2D-PSAs and three pneumatic suckers, which can climb on a flat surface mimicking a snake’s locomotion, is developed as an application demo of the presented 2D-PSA. Its locomotion capability presents the in-plane performance and mobility of 2D-PSA.
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Shinde, Mr Pruthviraj, Mr Prathamesh Kadam, Mr Hrushikesh Konnur, and Mr Suraj Kharat. "Study of G-Bot." International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology 10, no. 11 (November 30, 2022): 153–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2022.47275.
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Abstract: This study aims to improve the performance of the vine robot to allow for its movement into hard materials by innovating on a setup that can help it to move through hard materials like rocky terrain, caves, man made covers, etc. increasing its area of use to almost all drilling and surveying activities happening in the industry today and will the time and resources of many of our customers if we succeed in this endeavor. Vine Robots are soft continuum robots design with low-cost fabrication in mind and for the navigation of difficult environments. Unlike traditional robots, which move through surface contact to walk or run, the vine robot relies on growth for movement. Much like a vine and other plants, the robot has a grounded root, or “base,” and can continually grow as it expands to add material at its tip. Vine robots can be easily assembled and programmed by novices while also having the option to perform complex tasks.
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Li, Junfeng, Songyu Chen, and Minjie Sun. "Design and fabrication of a crawling robot based on a soft actuator." Smart Materials and Structures 30, no. 12 (November 9, 2021): 125018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-665x/ac2e1b.
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Abstract Inspired by biological systems, soft crawling robots provide unique advantages in terms of resilience and adaptive shaping during robotic motion. However, soft robots actuated by motors and pumps are usually heavy, noisy and bulky. In this paper, based on the principle of liquid-vapor changes of ethanol, a novel soft crawling robot that demonstrates more silent actuation and lighter weight compared with other robots is proposed. To increase the crawling speed of the robot, silicone mixed with liquid metal with a volume ratio of 20% is used to fabricate the actuators. The deformation of the actuator is analyzed and can be predicted using a theoretical model. To obtain effective crawling performance, a crawling locomotion sequence consisting of the three different parts (central, head and tail) based on the variable friction mechanism of actuators B and C is presented. The experimental results demonstrate that the robot can achieve forward movement on a horizontal surface and along vertical pipes and sticks. This study will provide further inspiration and guidance for the future development of crawling robots.
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Huang, Yaoli, Qinghua Yu, Chuanli Su, Jinhua Jiang, Nanliang Chen, and Huiqi Shao. "Light-Responsive Soft Actuators: Mechanism, Materials, Fabrication, and Applications." Actuators 10, no. 11 (November 10, 2021): 298. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act10110298.
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Soft robots are those that can move like living organisms and adapt to the surrounding environment. Compared with traditional rigid robots, the advantages of soft robots, in terms of material flexibility, human–computer interaction, and biological adaptability, have received extensive attention. Flexible actuators based on light response are one of the most promising ways to promote the field of cordless soft robots, and they have attracted the attention of scientists in bionic design, actuation implementation, and application. First, the three working principles and the commonly used light-responsive materials for light-responsive actuators are introduced. Then, the characteristics of light-responsive soft actuators are sequentially presented, emphasizing the structure strategy, actuation performance, and emerging applications. Finally, this review is concluded with a perspective on the existing challenges and future opportunities in this nascent research frontier.
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Zhang, Chengguang. "Simulation Analysis of Bionic Robot Fish Based on MFC Materials." Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2019 (June 4, 2019): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/2720873.
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With the development of marine resources, research on underwater robots has received unprecedented attention. The discovery and application of new smart materials provide new ideas for the research of underwater robots, which can overcome the issues of traditional underwater robots and optimize their design. A macro fiber composite (MFC) is a new type of piezoelectric fiber composite that combines actuators and sensors. The material has excellent deflection, good flexibility, and a high electromechanical coupling coefficient. Bionic mechatronics design is an effective way to innovate mechatronics in the future and can significantly improve mechatronics system performance. As an important issue for the design of bionic mechatronics, it is necessary to make robots as soft as natural organisms to achieve similar biological movement with both higher efficiency and performance. Compared with traditional rigid robots, the design and control of a soft robotic fish are difficult because the coupling between the flexible structure and the surrounding environment should be considered, which is difficult to solve due to the large deformation and coupling dynamics. In this paper, an MFC smart material is applied as an actuator in the design of bionic robotic fish. Combined with the piezoelectric constitutive and elastic constitutive equations of the MFC material, the voltage-drive signal is converted to a mechanical load applied to the MFC actuator, which makes the MFC material deform and drives the movement of the robotic fish. The characteristics of caudal fin motion during the swimming process of the bionic robotic fish were analyzed by an acoustic-solid coupling analysis method. The motion control analysis of the bionic robotic fish was carried out by changing the applied driving signal. Through numerical analysis, a new type of soft robotic fish was designed, and the feasibility of using an MFC smart material for underwater bionic robotic fish actuators was verified. The new soft robotic fish was successfully developed to achieve high performance.
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Tse, Zion Tsz Ho, Yue Chen, Sierra Hovet, Hongliang Ren, Kevin Cleary, Sheng Xu, Bradford Wood, and Reza Monfaredi. "Soft Robotics in Medical Applications." Journal of Medical Robotics Research 03, no. 03n04 (September 2018): 1841006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s2424905x18410064.
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Soft robotics are robotic systems made of materials that are similar in softness to human soft tissues. Recent medical soft robot designs, including rehabilitation, surgical, and diagnostic soft robots, are categorized by application and reviewed for functionality. Each design is analyzed for engineering characteristics and clinical significance. Current technical challenges in soft robotics fabrication, sensor integration, and control are discussed. Future directions including portable and robust actuation power sources, clinical adoptability, and clinical regulatory issues are summarized.
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Xiao, Wei, Dean Hu, Gang Yang, and Chao Jiang. "Modeling and analysis of soft robotic surfaces actuated by pneumatic network bending actuators." Smart Materials and Structures 31, no. 5 (March 16, 2022): 055001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-665x/ac5b1d.
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Abstract Soft robots are a nascent field that aims to provide a safe interaction with humans and better adaptability to unstructured environments. Many tentacle-like one-dimensional soft robots that can mimic the basic motion in nature are developed owing to ease of design and fabrication. To expand the spectrum of soft robots, this paper gives a detailed introduction of a new type of sheet-like two-dimensional soft robot. This soft robot is called soft robotic surface (SRS), which is actuated by pneumatic network bending actuators. An analytical model of the SRS is constructed based on the minimum potential energy method, which considers both its geometry complexity and material nonlinearity. The comparisons among the analytical, experimental, and numerical results demonstrate that the analytical model can accurately predict the SRS deformation. The maximum root mean squared error for the surface morphing is 3.429 mm, which is less than 5% of the maximum displacement for the free end. The effects of the actuating pressure and structural parameter on the SRS deformation are also investigated. The results reveal that the deformation shape of the SRS can be reconfigured by controlling the applied pressure. And the bending angle of the two actuators both decreases with the increase of the width and thickness of the soft surface. The SRS extends the research on soft robots and the developed analytical model also solves the fundamental problem of how to programme the surface morphing of soft robot surfaces. Finally, we fabricate a soft gripper that can grasp object objects with different sizes, shapes, and stiffness, which demonstrates the application of the SRS.
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Saigo, Hayato, Makoto Naruse, Kazuya Okamura, Hirokazu Hori, and Izumi Ojima. "Analysis of Soft Robotics Based on the Concept of Category of Mobility." Complexity 2019 (March 25, 2019): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1490541.
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Soft robotics is an emerging field of research where the robot body is composed of flexible and soft materials. It allows the body to bend, twist, and deform to move or to adapt its shape to the environment for grasping, all of which are difficult for traditional hard robots with rigid bodies. However, the theoretical basis and design principles for soft robotics are not well-founded despite their recognized importance. For example, the control of soft robots is outsourced to morphological attributes and natural processes; thus, the coupled relations between a robot and its environment are particularly crucial. In this paper, we propose a mathematical foundation for soft robotics based on category theory, a branch of abstract mathematics where any notions can be described by objects and arrows. It allows for a rigorous description of the inherent characteristics of soft robots and their relation to the environment as well as the differences compared to conventional hard robots. We present a notion called the category of mobility to well describe the subject matter. The theory has been applied to a model system and analysis to highlight the adaptation behavior observed in universal grippers, which are a typical example of soft robotics. The aim of the present study is not to offer concrete engineering solutions to existing robotics but to provide clear mathematical description of soft robots by category theory and to imply its potential abilities by a simple soft gripper demonstration. This paper paves the way to developing a theoretical background and design principles for soft robotics.
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Sun, Yu-Chen, Meysam Effati, Hani E. Naguib, and Goldie Nejat. "SoftSAR: The New Softer Side of Socially Assistive Robots—Soft Robotics with Social Human–Robot Interaction Skills." Sensors 23, no. 1 (December 30, 2022): 432. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s23010432.
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When we think of “soft” in terms of socially assistive robots (SARs), it is mainly in reference to the soft outer shells of these robots, ranging from robotic teddy bears to furry robot pets. However, soft robotics is a promising field that has not yet been leveraged by SAR design. Soft robotics is the incorporation of smart materials to achieve biomimetic motions, active deformations, and responsive sensing. By utilizing these distinctive characteristics, a new type of SAR can be developed that has the potential to be safer to interact with, more flexible, and uniquely uses novel interaction modes (colors/shapes) to engage in a heighted human–robot interaction. In this perspective article, we coin this new collaborative research area as SoftSAR. We provide extensive discussions on just how soft robotics can be utilized to positively impact SARs, from their actuation mechanisms to the sensory designs, and how valuable they will be in informing future SAR design and applications. With extensive discussions on the fundamental mechanisms of soft robotic technologies, we outline a number of key SAR research areas that can benefit from using unique soft robotic mechanisms, which will result in the creation of the new field of SoftSAR.
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Yap, Yee Ling, Swee Leong Sing, and Wai Yee Yeong. "A review of 3D printing processes and materials for soft robotics." Rapid Prototyping Journal 26, no. 8 (June 20, 2020): 1345–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/rpj-11-2019-0302.
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Purpose Soft robotics is currently a rapidly growing new field of robotics whereby the robots are fundamentally soft and elastically deformable. Fabrication of soft robots is currently challenging and highly time- and labor-intensive. Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) printing of soft materials and multi-materials have become the key to enable direct manufacturing of soft robots with sophisticated designs and functions. Hence, this paper aims to review the current 3D printing processes and materials for soft robotics applications, as well as the potentials of 3D printing technologies on 3D printed soft robotics. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the polymer 3D printing techniques and materials that have been used for the development of soft robotics. Current challenges to adopting 3D printing for soft robotics are also discussed. Next, the potentials of 3D printing technologies and the future outlooks of 3D printed soft robotics are presented. Findings This paper reviews five different 3D printing techniques and commonly used materials. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique for the soft robotic application are evaluated. The typical designs and geometries used by each technique are also summarized. There is an increasing trend of printing shape memory polymers, as well as multiple materials simultaneously using direct ink writing and material jetting techniques to produce robotics with varying stiffness values that range from intrinsically soft and highly compliant to rigid polymers. Although the recent work is done is still limited to experimentation and prototyping of 3D printed soft robotics, additive manufacturing could ultimately be used for the end-use and production of soft robotics. Originality/value The paper provides the current trend of how 3D printing techniques and materials are used particularly in the soft robotics application. The potentials of 3D printing technology on the soft robotic applications and the future outlooks of 3D printed soft robotics are also presented.
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Wu, Yichuan, Justin K. Yim, Jiaming Liang, Zhichun Shao, Mingjing Qi, Junwen Zhong, Zihao Luo, et al. "Insect-scale fast moving and ultrarobust soft robot." Science Robotics 4, no. 32 (July 31, 2019): eaax1594. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aax1594.
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Mobility and robustness are two important features for practical applications of robots. Soft robots made of polymeric materials have the potential to achieve both attributes simultaneously. Inspired by nature, this research presents soft robots based on a curved unimorph piezoelectric structure whose relative speed of 20 body lengths per second is the fastest measured among published artificial insect-scale robots. The soft robot uses several principles of animal locomotion, can carry loads, climb slopes, and has the sturdiness of cockroaches. After withstanding the weight of an adult footstep, which is about 1 million times heavier than that of the robot, the system survived and continued to move afterward. The relatively fast locomotion and robustness are attributed to the curved unimorph piezoelectric structure with large amplitude vibration, which advances beyond other methods. The design principle, driving mechanism, and operating characteristics can be further optimized and extended for improved performances, as well as used for other flexible devices.
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LIU, YANHUI, GUOQING ZHU, ZHENGQIN LIU, XINYI HU, and RUITAO JIANG. "Tactile design of manipulator fingers based on fingertip/textilefriction-induced vibration stimulations." Industria Textila 71, no. 01 (February 27, 2020): 28–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.35530/it.071.01.1354.
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Textile-like soft and flexible products are widely used in our daily life. Understanding the relationship between the tactilesensations of textiles and the tactile stimuli is essential for developing humanoid robot’s finger haptic system, especiallyfor certain kind of robot systems such as service robots and exploratory robots. This paper built a frequency space thatcan qualitatively represent a roughness sensation of textiles by a developing independently random match algorithm incombination with neurophysiological features of cutaneous mechanoreceptors. The experimental results show that thesum of amplitude in frequency range between 18 and 118 Hz can effectively describe the roughness sensory of textilewith accuracies of 98.5%. In other words, by applying the sum of amplitude in frequency range between 18 and 118 Hzcould successfully match roughness sensation of textiles, and it will help engineer of humanoid robot design manipulatorfinger haptic system in textile field.
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Kim, Park, Won, Jeon, and Wie. "Contactless Manipulation of Soft Robots." Materials 12, no. 19 (September 20, 2019): 3065. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma12193065.
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In recent years, jointless soft robots have demonstrated various curvilinear motions unlike conventional robotic systems requiring complex mechanical joints and electrical design principles. The materials employed to construct soft robots are mainly programmable anisotropic polymeric materials to achieve contactless manipulation of miniaturized and lightweight soft robots through their anisotropic strain responsivity to external stimuli. Although reviews on soft actuators are extensive, those on untethered soft robots are scant. In this study, we focus on the recent progress in the manipulation of untethered soft robots upon receiving external stimuli such as magnetic fields, light, humidity, and organic solvents. For each external stimulus, we provide an overview of the working principles along with the characteristics of programmable anisotropic materials and polymeric composites used in soft robotic systems. In addition, potential applications for untethered soft robots are discussed based on the physicochemical properties of programmable anisotropic materials for the given external stimuli.
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Hawkes, Elliot W., and Mark R. Cutkosky. "Design of Materials and Mechanisms for Responsive Robots." Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems 1, no. 1 (May 28, 2018): 359–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-control-060117-104903.
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As robots move beyond manufacturing applications to less predictable environments, they can increasingly benefit, as animals do, from integrating sensing and control with the passive properties provided by particular combinations and arrangements of materials and mechanisms. This realization is partly responsible for the recent proliferation of soft and bioinspired robots. Tuned materials and mechanisms can provide several kinds of benefits, including energy storage and recovery, increased physical robustness, and decreased response time to sudden events. In addition, they may offer passive open-loop behaviors and responses to external changes in loading or environmental conditions. Collectively, these properties can also increase the stability of a robot as it interacts with the environment and allow the closed-loop controller to reduce the apparent degrees of freedom subject to control. The design of appropriate materials and mechanisms remains a challenging problem; bioinspiration, genetic algorithms, and numerical shape and materials optimization are all applicable. New multimaterial fabrication processes are also steadily increasing the range and magnitude of passive properties available for intrinsically responsive robots.
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Cheng, Peilin, Yuze Ye, Jiangming Jia, Chuanyu Wu, and Qizhi Xie. "Design of cylindrical soft vacuum actuator for soft robots." Smart Materials and Structures 30, no. 4 (March 12, 2021): 045020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-665x/abeb2f.
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Tang, Yichao, Yinding Chi, Jiefeng Sun, Tzu-Hao Huang, Omid H. Maghsoudi, Andrew Spence, Jianguo Zhao, Hao Su, and Jie Yin. "Leveraging elastic instabilities for amplified performance: Spine-inspired high-speed and high-force soft robots." Science Advances 6, no. 19 (May 2020): eaaz6912. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz6912.
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Soft machines typically exhibit slow locomotion speed and low manipulation strength because of intrinsic limitations of soft materials. Here, we present a generic design principle that harnesses mechanical instability for a variety of spine-inspired fast and strong soft machines. Unlike most current soft robots that are designed as inherently and unimodally stable, our design leverages tunable snap-through bistability to fully explore the ability of soft robots to rapidly store and release energy within tens of milliseconds. We demonstrate this generic design principle with three high-performance soft machines: High-speed cheetah-like galloping crawlers with locomotion speeds of 2.68 body length/s, high-speed underwater swimmers (0.78 body length/s), and tunable low-to-high-force soft grippers with over 1 to 103 stiffness modulation (maximum load capacity is 11.4 kg). Our study establishes a new generic design paradigm of next-generation high-performance soft robots that are applicable for multifunctionality, different actuation methods, and materials at multiscales.
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Hussain, Irfan, Oraib Al-Ketan, Federico Renda, Monica Malvezzi, Domenico Prattichizzo, Lakmal Seneviratne, Rashid K. Abu Al-Rub, and Dongming Gan. "Design and prototyping soft–rigid tendon-driven modular grippers using interpenetrating phase composites materials." International Journal of Robotics Research 39, no. 14 (February 25, 2020): 1635–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0278364920907697.
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Advances in soft robotics and material science have enabled rapid progress in soft grippers. The ability to 3D print materials with softer, more elastic materials properties is a recent development and a key enabling technology for the rapid development of soft robots. However, obtaining the desired mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) of the soft joints and information about the parameters to select in 3D printers is often not straightforward. In this article, we propose the use of interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) materials with mathematically generated topologies based on triply periodic minimal surfaces for the development of soft grippers with desired mechanical properties. The flexible joints of the gripper can be realized through two or more phases that are topologically interconnected such that each phase represents a standalone cellular structure. As a case study, we present the design and development of a two-finger soft gripper as an example to demonstrate the application scenario of our approach. The flexible parts with desired stiffness values are realized by using IPCs materials in which the reinforcement distribution can be regulated on the basis of mathematical models. We characterized the properties of the material through a set of quantitative experiments on IPCs material specimens, and then we realized qualitative grasping tests with the gripper and a set of objects with different shapes and sizes. We showed that by properly regulating the properties of IPCs material it is possible to design modular grippers with the same structure, but different closure motions. Grippers can be customized for different tasks by easily assembling and disassembling fingers.
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Guo, Hongshuang, Hao Zeng, and Arri Priimagi. "Optically controlled grasping-slipping robot moving on tubular surfaces." Multifunctional Materials 5, no. 2 (March 29, 2022): 024001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2399-7532/ac55fd.
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Abstract Stimuli-responsive polymers provide unmatched opportunities for remotely controlled soft robots navigating in complex environments. Many of the responsive-material-based soft robots can walk on open surfaces, with movement directionality dictated by the friction anisotropy at the robot-substrate interface. Translocation in one-dimensional space such as on a tubular surface is much more challenging due to the lack of efficient friction control strategies. Such strategies could in long term provide novel application prospects in, e.g. overhaul at high altitudes and robotic operation within confined environments. In this work, we realize a liquid-crystal-elastomer-based soft robot that can move on a tubular surface through optical control over the grasping force exerted on the surface. Photoactuation allows for remotely switched gripping and friction control which, together with cyclic body deformation, enables light-fueled climbing on tubular surfaces of glass, wood, metal, and plastic with various cross-sections. We demonstrate vertical climbing, moving obstacles along the path, and load-carrying ability (at least 3 × body weight). We believe our design offer new prospects for wirelessly driven soft micro-robotics in confined spacing.
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Fu, Lei, Weiqiang Zhao, Jiayao Ma, Mingyuan Yang, Xinmeng Liu, Lei Zhang, and Yan Chen. "A Humidity-Powered Soft Robot with Fast Rolling Locomotion." Research 2022 (May 14, 2022): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9832901.
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A range of soft robotic systems have recently been developed that use soft, flexible materials and respond to environmental stimulus. The greatest challenge in their design is the integration of the actuator, energy sources, and body of robots while achieving fast locomotion and well-defined programmable trajectories. This work presents such a design that operates under constant conditions without the need for an externally modulated stimulus. By using a humidity-sensitive agarose film and overcoming the isotropic and random bending of the film, the robot, which we call the Hydrollbot, harnesses energy from evaporation for spontaneous and continuous fast self-rolling locomotion with a programmable trajectory in a constant-humidity environment. Moreover, the geometric parameters of the film were fine-tuned to maximize the rolling speed, and the optimised hydrollbot is capable of carrying a payload up to 100% of its own weight. The ability to self-propel fast under constant conditions with programmable trajectories will confer practical advantages to this robot in the applications for sensors, medical robots, actuation, etc.
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Pan, Min, Chenggang Yuan, Hastha Anpalagan, Andrew Plummer, Jun Zou, Junhui Zhang, and Chris Bowen. "Soft Controllable Carbon Fibre-based Piezoresistive Self-Sensing Actuators." Actuators 9, no. 3 (August 30, 2020): 79. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act9030079.
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Soft robots and devices exploit deformable materials that are capable of changes in shape to allow conformable physical contact for controlled manipulation. While the use of embedded sensors in soft actuation systems is gaining increasing interest, there are limited examples where the body of the actuator or robot is able to act as the sensing element. In addition, the conventional feedforward control method is widely used for the design of a controller, resulting in imprecise position control from a sensory input. In this work, we fabricate a soft self-sensing finger actuator using flexible carbon fibre-based piezoresistive composites to achieve an inherent sensing functionality and design a dual-closed-loop control system for precise actuator position control. The resistance change of the actuator body was used to monitor deformation and fed back to the motion controller. The experimental and simulated results demonstrated the effectiveness, robustness and good controllability of the soft finger actuator. Our work explores the emerging influence of inherently piezoresistive soft actuators to address the challenges of self-sensing, actuation and control, which can benefit the design of next-generation soft robots.
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Brivio, Andrea, Ksenia Rogacheva, Matteo Lucchelli, and Andrea Bonarini. "A soft, mobile, autonomous robot to develop skills through play in autistic children." Paladyn, Journal of Behavioral Robotics 12, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 187–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2021-0015.
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Abstract Robots have been used for many years in therapeutic activities with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, most robots presented in the literature have limited or no mobility, are made of rigid materials, or are too expensive for many care centers. We share the choices and the design rationale of the latest version of a soft, mobile, low-cost, autonomous robot that has successfully been used for 3 years in a care center for activities that include both free play and structured games. Moreover, the kind of activities that can be performed with this robot, and the feedback obtained from therapists about its application are reported.
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Zhao, Yun Hua, Qiu Hua Gao, Qi Chang He, and Wen Ming Zhang. "Design, Fabrication and Analysis of a Novel Membrane Dielectric Elastomer In-Plane Actuator." Materials Science Forum 940 (December 2018): 101–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.940.101.
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The emerging field of soft robots offers the prospective of applying soft actuators as artificial muscles, replacing traditional actuators based on hard materials. Dielectric elastomers (DE), one class of electro-active polymers, represents an attractive technology for the realization of mechatronic actuators, due to their light weight, high energy efficiency and scalability. This work aims at investigating and characterizing a novel design of membrane DE in-plane actuator by magnetic mechanism. A nonlinear dynamic model of the dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) is established and corresponding material parameters are identified. Natural frequency and response speed of DEAs are studied. It demonstrates that larger stretch and higher response speed can be realized by the proposed DEA.
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Shimoga, Ganesh, Dong-Soo Choi, and Sang-Youn Kim. "Bio-Inspired Soft Robotics: Tunable Photo-Actuation Behavior of Azo Chromophore Containing Liquid Crystalline Elastomers." Applied Sciences 11, no. 3 (January 29, 2021): 1233. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app11031233.
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Bio-inspiration relentlessly sparks the novel ideas to develop innovative soft robotic structures from smart materials. The conceptual soft robotic designs inspired by biomimetic routes have resulted in pioneering research contributions based on the understanding of the material selection and actuation properties. In an attempt to overcome the hazardous injuries, soft robotic systems are used subsequently to ensure safe human–robot interaction. In contrast to dielectric elastomer actuators, prolific efforts were made by understanding the photo-actuating properties of liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) containing azo-derivatives to construct mechanical structures and tiny portable robots for specific technological applications. The structure and material properties of these stimuli-responsive polymers can skillfully be controlled by light. In this short technical note, we highlight the potential high-tech importance and the photo-actuation behavior of some remarkable LCEs with azobenzene chromophores.
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Huang, Rong, Yiheng Xue, Zhengjie Li, and Zishun Liu. "Programmable Spiral and Helical Deformation Behaviors of Hydrogel-Based Bi-Material Beam Structures." International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics 20, no. 13 (October 5, 2020): 2041010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219455420410102.
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Soft materials possess magnificent properties which could be harnessed for different potential applications. Compared to other soft materials, hydrogels have some unique advantages which can be used in the shape deformation or shape transformation of structures. This paper aims to investigate the deformation mechanisms of hydrogel-based bi-material beam structures and study the non-uniform geometric effects on the shape transformation including programmable scroll and helical deformations. With a sloped thickness design, the structures could be transformed from an initial quasi-2D beam configuration into some other 2D self-scroll and 3D self-helical configurations. From the hydrogel material model, a modified deformation formula for bi-material beam structures based on the framework of the classical beam theory has been developed to predict the shape morphing behaviors. The relationship between the curvature and the mismatch strain is derived in its explicit form and the theoretical results are verified through several numerical simulations. Furthermore, experiments are carried out to demonstrate the design principles for reconfigurable bi-material beam structures and the experiments show that the structures tend to deform similarly to that predicted by the analytical models. The presented work could provide guidance for future applications of responsive hydrogel-based bi-material beam structures such as in soft actuators and soft robots.
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Guo, Di, and Zhan Kang. "Chamber layout design optimization of soft pneumatic robots." Smart Materials and Structures 29, no. 2 (January 17, 2020): 025017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-665x/ab607b.
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Sedal, Audrey, and Alan Wineman. "Force reversal and energy dissipation in composite tubes through nonlinear viscoelasticity of component materials." Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 476, no. 2241 (September 2020): 20200299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2020.0299.
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Fibre-reinforced, fluid-filled structures are commonly found in nature and emulated in devices. Researchers in the field of soft robotics have used such structures to build lightweight, impact-resistant and safe robots. The polymers and biological materials in many soft actuators have these advantageous characteristics because of viscoelastic energy dissipation. Yet, the gross effects of these underlying viscoelastic properties have not been studied. We explore nonlinear viscoelasticity in soft, pressurized fibre-reinforced tubes, which are a popular type of soft actuation and a common biological architecture. Relative properties of the reinforcement and matrix materials lead to a rich parameter space connecting actuator inputs, loading response and energy dissipation. We solve a mechanical problem in which both the fibre and the matrix are nonlinearly viscoelastic, and the tube deforms into component materials’ nonlinear response regimes. We show that stress relaxation of an actuator can cause the relationship between the working fluid input and the output force to reverse over time compared to the equivalent, non-dissipative case. We further show that differences in design parameter and viscoelastic material properties can affect energy dissipation throughout the use cycle. This approach bridges the gap between viscoelastic behaviour of fibre-reinforced materials and time-dependent soft robot actuation.
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Dawood, Abu Bakar, Jan Fras, Faisal Aljaber, Yoav Mintz, Alberto Arezzo, Hareesh Godaba, and Kaspar Althoefer. "Fusing Dexterity and Perception for Soft Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery: What We Learnt from STIFF-FLOP." Applied Sciences 11, no. 14 (July 17, 2021): 6586. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app11146586.
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In recent years we have seen tremendous progress in the development of robotic solutions for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Indeed, a number of robot-assisted MIS systems have been developed to product level and are now well-established clinical tools; Intuitive Surgical’s very successful da Vinci Surgical System a prime example. The majority of these surgical systems are based on the traditional rigid-component robot design that was instrumental in the third industrial revolution—especially within the manufacturing sector. However, the use of this approach for surgical procedures on or around soft tissue has come under increasing criticism. The dangers of operating with a robot made from rigid components both near and within a patient are considerable. The EU project STIFF-FLOP, arguably the first large-scale research programme on soft robots for MIS, signalled the start of a concerted effort among researchers to investigate this area more comprehensively. While soft robots have many advantages over their rigid-component counterparts, among them high compliance and increased dexterity, they also bring their own specific challenges when interacting with the environment, such as the need to integrate sensors (which also need to be soft) that can determine the robot’s position and orientation (pose). In this study, the challenges of sensor integration are explored, while keeping the surgeon’s perspective at the forefront of ourdiscussion. The paper critically explores a range of methods, predominantly those developed during the EU project STIFF-FLOP, that facilitate the embedding of soft sensors into articulate soft robot structures using flexible, optics-based lightguides. We examine different optics-based approaches to pose perception in a minimally invasive surgery settings, and methods of integration are also discussed.
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Stano, Gianni, Luca Arleo, and Gianluca Percoco. "Additive Manufacturing for Soft Robotics: Design and Fabrication of Airtight, Monolithic Bending PneuNets with Embedded Air Connectors." Micromachines 11, no. 5 (May 9, 2020): 485. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi11050485.
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Air tightness is a challenging task for 3D-printed components, especially for fused filament fabrication (FFF), due to inherent issues, related to the layer-by-layer fabrication method. On the other hand, the capability of 3D print airtight cavities with complex shapes is very attractive for several emerging research fields, such as soft robotics. The present paper proposes a repeatable methodology to 3D print airtight soft actuators with embedded air connectors. The FFF process has been optimized to manufacture monolithic bending PneuNets (MBPs), an emerging class of soft robots. FFF has several advantages in soft robot fabrication: (i) it is a fully automated process which does not require manual tasks as for molding, (ii) it is one of the most ubiquitous and inexpensive (FFF 3D printers costs < $200) 3D-printing technologies, and (iii) more materials can be used in the same printing cycle which allows embedding of several elements in the soft robot body. Using commercial soft filaments and a dual-extruder 3D printer, at first, a novel air connector which can be easily embedded in each soft robot, made via FFF technology with a single printing cycle, has been fabricated and tested. This new embedded air connector (EAC) prevents air leaks at the interface between pneumatic pipe and soft robot and replaces the commercial air connections, often origin of leakages in soft robots. A subsequent experimental study using four different shapes of MBPs, each equipped with EAC, showed the way in which different design configurations can affect bending performance. By focusing on the best performing shape, among the tested ones, the authors studied the relationship between bending performance and air tightness, proving how the Design for Additive Manufacturing approach is essential for advanced applications involving FFF. In particular, the relationship between chamber wall thickness and printing parameters has been analyzed, the thickness of the walls has been studied from 1.6 to 1 mm while maintaining air tightness and improving the bending angle by 76.7% under a pressure of 4 bar. It emerged that the main printing parameter affecting chamber wall air tightness is the line width that, in conjunction with the wall thickness, can ensure air tightness of the soft actuator body.
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Scalet, Giulia. "Two-Way and Multiple-Way Shape Memory Polymers for Soft Robotics: An Overview." Actuators 9, no. 1 (February 15, 2020): 10. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act9010010.
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Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials capable of changing their shapes in a predefined manner under a proper applied stimulus and have gained considerable interest in several application fields. Particularly, two-way and multiple-way SMPs offer unique opportunities to realize untethered soft robots with programmable morphology and/or properties, repeatable actuation, and advanced multi-functionalities. This review presents the recent progress of soft robots based on two-way and multiple-way thermo-responsive SMPs. All the building blocks important for the design of such robots, i.e., the base materials, manufacturing processes, working mechanisms, and modeling and simulation tools, are covered. Moreover, examples of real-world applications of soft robots and related actuators, challenges, and future directions are discussed.
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Trimmer, Barry A. "New Challenges in Biorobotics: Incorporating Soft Tissue into Control Systems." Applied Bionics and Biomechanics 5, no. 3 (2008): 119–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2008/505213.
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The development of truly biomimetic robots requires that soft materials be incorporated into the mechanical design and also used as an integral part of the motor control system. One approach to this challenge is to identify how soft animals control their movements and then apply the found principles in robotic applications. Here I show an example of how a combination of animal kinematics, neural patterning and constitutive modelling of tissues can be used to explore motor control in the caterpillar,Manduca sexta. Although still in the early stages, these findings are being used to design and fabricate a new type of robot that does not have a rigid skeleton and is structured entirely from soft or compliant materials. It is hoped that this new robotic platform will promote the development of actuators, sensors and electronics that are compatible with soft materials.
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Sardesai, Aditya N., Xavier M. Segel, Matthew N. Baumholtz, Yiheng Chen, Ruhao Sun, Bram W. Schork, Richard Buonocore, Kyle O. Wagner, and Holly M. Golecki. "Design and Characterization of Edible Soft Robotic Candy Actuators." MRS Advances 3, no. 50 (2018): 3003–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/adv.2018.557.
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ABSTRACTOne of the goals of soft robotics is the ability to interface with the human body. Traditionally, silicone materials have dominated the field of soft robotics. In order to shift to materials that are more compatible with the body, developments will have to be made into biodegradable and biocompatible soft robots. This investigation focused on developing gummy actuators which are biodegradable, edible, and tasty. Creating biodegradable and edible actuators can be both sold as an interactive candy product and also inform the design of implantable soft robotic devices. First, commercially available gelatin-based candies were recast into pneumatic actuators utilizing molds. Edible robotic devices were pneumatically actuated repeatedly (up to n=8 actuations) using a 150 psi power inflator. To improve upon the properties of actuators formed from commercially available candy, a novel gelatin-based formulation, termed the “Fordmula” was also developed and used to create functional actuators. To investigate the mechanics and functionality of the recast gummy material and the Fordmula, compression testing and biodegradation studies were performed. Mechanical compression tests showed that recast gummy materials had similar properties to commercially available candies and at low strain had similar behavior to traditional silicone materials. Degradation studies showed that actuation was possible within 15 minutes in a biologically relevant solution followed by complete dissolution of the actuator afterwards. A taste test with elementary aged children demonstrated the fun, edible, and educational appeal of the candy actuators. Edible actuator development was an entry and winning submission in the High School Division of the Soft Robotics Toolkit Design Competition hosted by Harvard University. Demonstration of edible soft robotic actuators created by middle and high school aged students shows the applicability of the Soft Robotics Toolkit for K12 STEM education.
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Bai, Long, Hao Yan, Jiafeng Li, Jiefeng Shan, and Penghao Hou. "Detachable Soft Actuators with Tunable Stiffness Based on Wire Jamming." Applied Sciences 12, no. 7 (April 1, 2022): 3582. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app12073582.
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The integration of variable stiffness materials and structures into soft robots is a popular trend, allowing soft robots to switch between soft and rigid states in different situations. This concept combines the advantages of rigid mechanisms and soft robots, resulting in not only excellent flexibility but also tunable stiffness for high load capacity and fast and precise operation. Here, a stiffness-tunable soft actuator based on wire/fiber jamming structure is proposed, where the fiber-reinforced soft actuator is responsible for the bending motion, and the jamming structure acts as a stiffness-tunable layer controlled by vacuum pressure. The primary design objective of this study is to fabricate a jamming structure with wide-range stiffness, universal adaptability and high dexterity. Thus, the behaviors of wire/fiber jamming structures with different layouts, materials and wire arrangements are analyzed, and a theoretical model is developed to predict the effect of geometric parameters. Experimental characterizations show that the stiffness can be significantly enhanced in the bending direction, while the stiffness is smaller in the torsion direction. Additionally, by integrating Velcro strips into the design, a quick and detachable scheme for the stiffness-tunable soft actuator is achieved. Application examples exhibit high load capacity and good shape adaptability.
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Terryn, Seppe, Ellen Roels, Joost Brancart, Guy Van Assche, and Bram Vanderborght. "Self-Healing and High Interfacial Strength in Multi-Material Soft Pneumatic Robots via Reversible Diels–Alder Bonds." Actuators 9, no. 2 (April 30, 2020): 34. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act9020034.
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In new-generation soft robots, the actuation performance can be increased by using multiple materials in the actuator designs. However, the lifetime of these actuators is often limited due to failure that occurs at the weak multi-material interfaces that rely almost entirely on physical interactions and where stress concentration appears during actuation. This paper proposes to develop soft pneumatic actuators out of multiple Diels–Alder polymers that can generate strong covalent bonds at the multi-material interface by means of a heat–cool cycle. Through tensile testing it is proven that high interfacial strength can be obtained between two merged Diels–Alder polymers. This merging principle is exploited in the manufacturing of multi-material bending soft pneumatic actuators in which interfaces are no longer the weakest links. The applicability of the actuators is illustrated by their operation in a soft hand and a soft gripper demonstrator. In addition, the use of Diels–Alder polymers incorporates healability in bending actuators. It is experimentally illustrated that full recovery of severe damage can be obtained by subjecting the multi-material actuators to a healing cycle.
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Wiersinga, Pieter, Aidan Sleavin, Bart Boom, Thijs Masmeijer, Spencer Flint, and Ed Habtour. "Hybrid Compliant Musculoskeletal System for Fast Actuation in Robots." Micromachines 13, no. 10 (October 20, 2022): 1783. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi13101783.
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A nature-inspired musculoskeletal system is designed and developed to examine the principle of nonlinear elastic energy storage–release for robotic applications. The musculoskeletal system architecture consists of elastically rigid segments and hyperelastic soft materials to emulate rigid–soft interactions in limbless vertebrates. The objectives are to (i) improve the energy efficiency of actuation beyond that of current pure soft actuators while (ii) producing a high range of motion similar to that of soft robots but with structural stability. This paper proposes a musculoskeletal design that takes advantage of structural segmentation to increase the system’s degrees of freedom, which enhances the range of motion. Our findings show that rigid–soft interactions provide a remarkable increase in energy storage and release and, thus, an increase in the undulation speed. The energy efficiency achieved is approximately 68% for bending the musculoskeletal system from the straight configuration, compared to 2.5–30% efficiency in purely soft actuators. The hybrid compliance of the musculoskeletal system under investigation shows promise for alleviating the need for actuators at each joint in a robot.
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Kolachalama, Srikanth, and Sridhar Lakshmanan. "Continuum Robots for Manipulation Applications: A Survey." Journal of Robotics 2020 (July 18, 2020): 1–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4187048.
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This paper presents a literature survey documenting the evolution of continuum robots over the past two decades (1999–present). Attention is paid to bioinspired soft robots with respect to the following three design parameters: structure, materials, and actuation. Using this three-faced prism, we identify the uniqueness and novelty of robots that have hitherto not been publicly disclosed. The motivation for this study comes from the fact that continuum soft robots can make inroads in industrial manufacturing, and their adoption will be accelerated if their key advantages over counterparts with rigid links are clear. Four different taxonomies of continuum robots are included in this study, enabling researchers to quickly identify robots of relevance to their studies. The kinematics and dynamics of these robots are not covered, nor is their application in surgical manipulation.
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Chang, Y. J., Q. Zhou, W. H. Hou, Y. H. Liang, L. Ren, D. H. Sun, and L. Q. Ren. "Design and Preparation of Magnetism-Driven Intelligent Hydrogel Actuators." International Polymer Processing 36, no. 2 (May 1, 2021): 165–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2020-3904.
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Abstract Novel kinds of magnetism-driven poly N,N-dimethylacrylamide bilayer intelligent hydrogels with various nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) contents were prepared successfully via one-step insitu free radical polymerization. The bilayer hydrogels possessed high mechanical strength, efficient swelling and steady magnetic response. With the increase of nanofibrillated cellulose content, the crosslinking density of the hydrogels increased, leading to the decrease of swelling rate and increase of mechanical strength and swelling bending degree of hydrogel actuators, respectively. Fe3O4 particles existed tightly on the micropore surfaces of the hydrogels, which built the function base of magnetic response of hydrogel actuators. The addition of Fe3O4 was irrelevant to the variation of crosslinking density. The bilayer structure exhibited high bonding strength. Based on intelligent responsive properties, bilayer hydrogels were designed as soft magnetism-driven actuators, realizing capture and transportation properties and provided material candidates for soft robots.
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Kastor, Nikolas, Vishesh Vikas, Eliad Cohen, and Robert D. White. "A Definition of Soft Materials for Use in the Design of Robots." Soft Robotics 4, no. 3 (September 2017): 181–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/soro.2017.29012.nka.
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Han, Fei, Min Li, Huaiyu Ye, and Guoqi Zhang. "Materials, Electrical Performance, Mechanisms, Applications, and Manufacturing Approaches for Flexible Strain Sensors." Nanomaterials 11, no. 5 (May 5, 2021): 1220. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nano11051220.
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With the recent great progress made in flexible and wearable electronic materials, the upcoming next generation of skin-mountable and implantable smart devices holds extensive potential applications for the lifestyle modifying, including personalized health monitoring, human-machine interfaces, soft robots, and implantable biomedical devices. As a core member within the wearable electronics family, flexible strain sensors play an essential role in the structure design and functional optimization. To further enhance the stretchability, flexibility, sensitivity, and electricity performances of the flexible strain sensors, enormous efforts have been done covering the materials design, manufacturing approaches and various applications. Thus, this review summarizes the latest advances in flexible strain sensors over recent years from the material, application, and manufacturing strategies. Firstly, the critical parameters measuring the performances of flexible strain sensors and materials development contains different flexible substrates, new nano- and hybrid- materials are introduced. Then, the developed working mechanisms, theoretical analysis, and computational simulation are presented. Next, based on different material design, diverse applications including human motion detection and health monitoring, soft robotics and human-machine interface, implantable devices, and biomedical applications are highlighted. Finally, synthesis consideration of the massive production industry of flexible strain sensors in the future; different fabrication approaches that are fully expected are classified and discussed.
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Gao, Hang, James Lynch, and Nick Gravish. "Soft Molds with Micro-Machined Internal Skeletons Improve Robustness of Flapping-Wing Robots." Micromachines 13, no. 9 (September 7, 2022): 1489. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi13091489.
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Mobile millimeter and centimeter scale robots often use smart composite manufacturing (SCM) for the construction of body components and mechanisms. The fabrication of SCM mechanisms requires laser machining and laminating flexible, adhesive, and structural materials into small-scale hinges, transmissions, and, ultimately, wings or legs. However, a fundamental limitation of SCM components is the plastic deformation and failure of flexures. In this work, we demonstrate that encasing SCM components in a soft silicone mold dramatically improves the durability of SCM flexure hinges and provides robustness to SCM components. We demonstrate this advance in the design of a flapping-wing robot that uses an underactuated compliant transmission fabricated with an inner SCM skeleton and exterior silicone mold. The transmission design is optimized to achieve desired wingstroke requirements and to allow for independent motion of each wing. We validate these design choices in bench-top tests, measuring transmission compliance, kinematics, and fatigue. We integrate the transmission with laminate wings and two types of actuation, demonstrating elastic energy exchange and limited lift-off capabilities. Lastly, we tested collision mitigation through flapping-wing experiments that obstructed the motion of a wing. These experiments demonstrate that an underactuated compliant transmission can provide resilience and robustness to flapping-wing robots.
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Koo, Sumin Helen. "Design factors and preferences in wearable soft robots for movement disabilities." International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology 30, no. 4 (August 6, 2018): 477–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijcst-10-2017-0167.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand different preferences and important design factors for wearable soft robots (WSR) and understand how these differences affect people’s perception, attitude and behavioral intentions toward using the WSR. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted to purposely sampled participants who are adults aged over 18 of both genders with movement disabilities living in the USA. The collected data were analyzed through Welch’s t-test, Welch’s analysis of variance and linear- and multi-regressions for quantitative data and major theme extractions for qualitative data. Findings The results identified preferred functions and designs and important design factors for WSR and how these influence to users’ perception, attitude and behaviors on WSR. Originality/value The number of people with movement disabilities is anticipated to increase worldwide and it is essential to understand users for developing wearable movement aids for people with movement disabilities. However, there is no research on what functions and designs are preferred by WSR users and what aspects designers need to consider when developing these WSR. Thus, this research will contribute to the body of knowledge in WSR design; help WSR developers, designers and researchers better incorporate users’ preferences in the design process; and ultimately enhance the quality of life of people who have movement disabilities.
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Thuruthel, Thomas George, Benjamin Shih, Cecilia Laschi, and Michael Thomas Tolley. "Soft robot perception using embedded soft sensors and recurrent neural networks." Science Robotics 4, no. 26 (January 30, 2019): eaav1488. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aav1488.
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Recent work has begun to explore the design of biologically inspired soft robots composed of soft, stretchable materials for applications including the handling of delicate materials and safe interaction with humans. However, the solid-state sensors traditionally used in robotics are unable to capture the high-dimensional deformations of soft systems. Embedded soft resistive sensors have the potential to address this challenge. However, both the soft sensors—and the encasing dynamical system—often exhibit nonlinear time-variant behavior, which makes them difficult to model. In addition, the problems of sensor design, placement, and fabrication require a great deal of human input and previous knowledge. Drawing inspiration from the human perceptive system, we created a synthetic analog. Our synthetic system builds models using a redundant and unstructured sensor topology embedded in a soft actuator, a vision-based motion capture system for ground truth, and a general machine learning approach. This allows us to model an unknown soft actuated system. We demonstrate that the proposed approach is able to model the kinematics of a soft continuum actuator in real time while being robust to sensor nonlinearities and drift. In addition, we show how the same system can estimate the applied forces while interacting with external objects. The role of action in perception is also presented. This approach enables the development of force and deformation models for soft robotic systems, which can be useful for a variety of applications, including human-robot interaction, soft orthotics, and wearable robotics.
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Zhao, Yusen, Chen Xuan, Xiaoshi Qian, Yousif Alsaid, Mutian Hua, Lihua Jin, and Ximin He. "Soft phototactic swimmer based on self-sustained hydrogel oscillator." Science Robotics 4, no. 33 (August 21, 2019): eaax7112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aax7112.
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Oscillations are widely found in living organisms to generate propulsion-based locomotion often driven by constant ambient conditions, such as phototactic movements. Such environment-powered and environment-directed locomotions may advance fully autonomous remotely steered robots. However, most man-made oscillations require nonconstant energy input and cannot perform environment-dictated movement. Here, we report a self-sustained soft oscillator that exhibits perpetual and untethered locomotion as a phototactic soft swimming robot, remotely fueled and steered by constant visible light. This particular out-of-equilibrium actuation arises from a self-shadowing–enabled negative feedback loop inherent in the dynamic light–material interactions, promoted by the fast and substantial volume change of the photoresponsive hydrogel. Our analytical model and governing equation unveil the oscillation mechanism and design principle with key parameters identified to tune the dynamics. On this autonomous oscillator platform, we establish a broadly applicable principle for converting a continuous input into a discontinuous output. The modular design can be customized to accommodate various forms of input energy and to generate diverse oscillatory behaviors. The hydrogel oscillator showcases agile life-like omnidirectional motion in the entire three-dimensional space with near-infinite degrees of freedom. The large force generated by the powerful and long-lasting oscillation can sufficiently overcome water damping and effectively self-propel away from a light source. Such a hydrogel oscillator–based all-soft swimming robot, named OsciBot, demonstrated high-speed and controllable phototactic locomotion. This autonomous robot is battery free, deployable, scalable, and integratable. Artificial phototaxis opens broad opportunities in maneuverable marine automated systems, miniaturized transportation, and solar sails.
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Huang, Zixin, Xinpeng Li, Jiarun Wang, Yi Zhang, and Jingfu Mei. "Human Pulse Detection by a Soft Tactile Actuator." Sensors 22, no. 13 (July 5, 2022): 5047. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22135047.
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Soft sensing technologies offer promising prospects in the fields of soft robots, wearable devices, and biomedical instruments. However, the structural design, fabrication process, and sensing algorithm design of the soft devices confront great difficulties. In this paper, a soft tactile actuator (STA) with both the actuation function and sensing function is presented. The tactile physiotherapy finger of the STA was fabricated by a fluid silica gel material. Before pulse detection, the tactile physiotherapy finger was actuated to the detection position by injecting compressed air into its chamber. The pulse detecting algorithm, which realized the pulse detection function of the STA, is presented. Finally, in actual pulse detection experiments, the pulse values of the volunteers detected by using the STA and by employing a professional pulse meter were close, which illustrates the effectiveness of the pulse detecting algorithm of the STA.
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Eshaghi, Mehdi, Mohsen Ghasemi, and Korosh Khorshidi. "Design, manufacturing and applications of small-scale magnetic soft robots." Extreme Mechanics Letters 44 (April 2021): 101268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eml.2021.101268.
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Yang, Haitao, Bok Seng Yeow, Zhipeng Li, Kerui Li, Ting-Hsiang Chang, Lin Jing, Yang Li, John S. Ho, Hongliang Ren, and Po-Yen Chen. "Multifunctional metallic backbones for origami robotics with strain sensing and wireless communication capabilities." Science Robotics 4, no. 33 (August 28, 2019): eaax7020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aax7020.
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The tight integration of actuation, sensing, and communication capabilities into origami robots enables the development of new-generation functional robots. However, this task is challenging because the conventional materials (e.g., papers and plastics) for building origami robots lack design opportunities for incorporating add-on functionalities. Installing external electronics requires high system integration and inevitably increases the robotic weight. Here, a graphene oxide (GO)–enabled templating synthesis was developed to produce reconfigurable, compliant, multifunctional metallic backbones for the fabrication of origami robots with built-in strain sensing and wireless communication capabilities. The GO-enabled templating synthesis realized the production of complex noble metal origamis (such as Pt) with high structural replication of their paper templates. The reproduced Pt origami structures were further stabilized with thin elastomer, and the Pt-elastomer origamis were reconfigurable and served as the multifunctional backbones for building origami robots. Compared with traditional paper and plastic materials, the reconfigurable Pt backbones were more deformable, fire retardant, and power efficient. In addition, the robots with conductive Pt-elastomer backbones (Pt robots) demonstrated distinct capabilities—such as on-demand resistive heating, strain sensing, and built-in antennas—without the need for external electronics. The multifunctionality of Pt robots was further demonstrated to extend beyond the capabilities of traditional paper-based robots, such as melting an ice cube to escape, monitoring/recording robotic motions in real time, and wireless communications between robots. The development of multifunctional metallic backbones that couple actuation, sensing, and communication enriches the material library for the fabrication of soft robotics toward high functional integration.
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Rothemund, Philipp, Sophie Kirkman, and Christoph Keplinger. "Dynamics of electrohydraulic soft actuators." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 28 (June 29, 2020): 16207–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006596117.
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Nature has inspired the design of robots in which soft actuators enable tasks such as handling of fragile objects and adapting to unstructured environments. Those tasks are difficult for traditional robots, which predominantly consist of hard components. Electrohydraulic soft actuators are liquid-filled shells that deform upon the application of electric fields; they excel among soft actuators with muscle-like force outputs and actuation strains, and with actuation frequencies above 100 Hz. However, the fundamental physics that governs the dynamics of electrohydraulic soft actuators is unexplored. Here, we study the dynamics of electrohydraulic soft actuators using the Peano-HASEL (hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic) actuator as a model system. Using experiments and a scaling analysis, we discover two dynamic regimes: a regime in which viscous dissipation reduces the actuation speed and a regime governed by inertial effects in which high-speed actuation is possible. For each regime, we derive a timescale that describes the influence of geometry, materials system, and applied external loads on the actuation speed. We also derive a model to study the dynamic behavior of Peano-HASEL actuators in both regimes. Although this analysis focuses on the Peano-HASEL actuator, the presented results may readily be generalized to other electrohydraulic actuators. When designed to operate in the inertial regime, electrohydraulic actuators will enable bio-inspired robots with unprecedented speeds of motion.