Journal articles: 'Soft sensors and actuators'

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Mersch, Johannes, Najmeh Keshtkar, Henriette Grellmann, Carlos Alberto Gomez Cuaran, Mathis Bruns, Andreas Nocke, Chokri Cherif, Klaus Röbenack, and Gerald Gerlach. "Integrated Temperature and Position Sensors in a Shape-Memory Driven Soft Actuator for Closed-Loop Control." Materials 15, no. 2 (January 10, 2022): 520. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15020520.

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Soft actuators are a promising option for the advancing fields of human-machine interaction and dexterous robots in complex environments. Shape memory alloy wire actuators can be integrated into fiber rubber composites for highly deformable structures. For autonomous, closed-loop control of such systems, additional integrated sensors are necessary. In this work, a soft actuator is presented that incorporates fiber-based actuators and sensors to monitor both deformation and temperature. The soft actuator showed considerable deformation around two solid body joints, which was then compared to the sensor signals, and their correlation was analyzed. Both, the actuator as well as the sensor materials were processed by braiding and tailored fiber placement before molding with silicone rubber. Finally, the novel fiber-rubber composite material was used to implement closed-loop control of the actuator with a maximum error of 0.5°.

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Shu, Jing, Junming Wang, Sanders Cheuk Yin Lau, Yujie Su, Kelvin Ho Lam Heung, Xiangqian Shi, Zheng Li, and Raymond Kai-yu Tong. "Soft Robots’ Dynamic Posture Perception Using Kirigami-Inspired Flexible Sensors with Porous Structures and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Networks." Sensors 22, no. 20 (October 11, 2022): 7705. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22207705.

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Soft robots can create complicated structures and functions for rehabilitation. The posture perception of soft actuators is critical for performing closed-loop control for a precise location. It is essential to have a sensor with both soft and flexible characteristics that does not affect the movement of a soft actuator. This paper presents a novel end-to-end posture perception method that employs flexible sensors with kirigami-inspired structures and long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks. The sensors were developed with conductive sponge materials. With one-step calibration from the sensor output, the posture of the soft actuator could be calculated by the LSTM network. The method was validated by attaching the developed sensors to a soft fiber-reinforced bending actuator. The results showed the accuracy of posture prediction of sponge sensors with three kirigami-inspired structures ranged from 0.91 to 0.97 in terms of R2. The sponge sensors only generated a resistive torque value of 0.96 mNm at the maximum bending position when attached to a soft actuator, which would minimize the effect on actuator movement. The kirigami-inspired flexible sponge sensor could in future enhance soft robotic development.

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He, Yanlin, Lianqing Zhu, Guangkai Sun, Mingxin Yu, and Mingli Dong. "Design, Measurement and Shape Reconstruction of Soft Surgical Actuator Based on Fiber Bragg Gratings." Applied Sciences 8, no. 10 (September 30, 2018): 1773. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app8101773.

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Soft actuators are the components responsible for organs and tissues adsorptive fixation in some surgical operations, but the lack of shape sensing and monitoring of a soft actuator greatly limits their application potential. Consequently, this paper proposes a real-time 3D shape reconstruction method of soft surgical actuator which has an embedded optical fiber with two Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. First, the design principle and the sensing of the soft actuator based on FBG sensors are analyzed, and the fabrication process of soft actuator which has an embedded optical fiber with two FBG sensors is described. Next, the calibration of the FBG sensors is conducted. Based on curvatures and curve fitting functions, the strategy of 3D shapes reconstruction of the soft actuator is presented. Finally, some bending experiments of the soft actuator are carried out, and the 3D shapes of the soft actuator at different bending states are reconstructed. This well reconstructed 3D shape of a soft actuator demonstrates the effectiveness of the shape reconstruction method that is proposed in this paper, as well as the potential and increased applications of these structures for real soft surgical actuators.

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Konishi, Satoshi, Fuminari Mori, Ayano Shimizu, and Akiya Hirata. "Structural Reinforcement Effect of a Flexible Strain Sensor Integrated with Pneumatic Balloon Actuators for Soft Microrobot Fingers." Micromachines 12, no. 4 (April 2, 2021): 395. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi12040395.

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Motion capture of a robot and tactile sensing for a robot require sensors. Strain sensors are used to detect bending deformation of the robot finger and to sense the force from an object. It is important to introduce sensors in effective combination with actuators without affecting the original performance of the robot. We are interested in the improvement of flexible strain sensors integrated into soft microrobot fingers using a pneumatic balloon actuator (PBA). A strain sensor using a microchannel filled with liquid metal was developed for soft PBAs by considering the compatibility of sensors and actuators. Inflatable deformation generated by PBAs, however, was found to affect sensor characteristics. This paper presents structural reinforcement of a liquid metal-based sensor to solve this problem. Parylene C film was deposited into a microchannel to reinforce its structure against the inflatable deformation caused by a PBA. Parylene C deposition into a microchannel suppressed the interference of inflatable deformation. The proposed method enables the effective combination of soft PBAs and a flexible liquid metal strain sensor for use in microrobot fingers.

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Yilmaz, Ayse Feyza, Fidan Khalilbayli, Kadir Ozlem, Hend M. Elmoughni, Fatma Kalaoglu, Asli Tuncay Atalay, Gökhan Ince, and Ozgur Atalay. "Effect of Segment Types on Characterization of Soft Sensing Textile Actuators for Soft Wearable Robots." Biomimetics 7, no. 4 (December 19, 2022): 249. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040249.

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The use of textiles in soft robotics is gaining popularity because of the advantages textiles offer over other materials in terms of weight, conformability, and ease of manufacture. The purpose of this research is to examine the stitching process used to construct fabric-based pneumatic bending actuators as well as the effect of segment types on the actuators’ properties when used in soft robotic glove applications. To impart bending motion to actuators, two techniques have been used: asymmetry between weave and weft knit fabric layers and mechanical anisotropy between these two textiles. The impacts of various segment types on the actuators’ grip force and bending angle were investigated further. According to experiments, segmenting the actuator with a sewing technique increases the bending angle. It was discovered that actuators with high anisotropy differences in their fabric combinations have high gripping forces. Textile-based capacitive strain sensors are also added to selected segmented actuator types, which possess desirable properties such as increased grip force, increased bending angle, and reduced radial expansion. The sensors were used to demonstrate the controllability of a soft robotic glove using a closed-loop system. Finally, we demonstrated that actuators integrated into a soft wearable glove are capable of grasping a variety of items and performing various grasp types.

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Preechayasomboon, Pornthep, and Eric Rombokas. "Sensuator: A Hybrid Sensor–Actuator Approach to Soft Robotic Proprioception Using Recurrent Neural Networks." Actuators 10, no. 2 (February 7, 2021): 30. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act10020030.

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Soft robotic actuators are now being used in practical applications; however, they are often limited to open-loop control that relies on the inherent compliance of the actuator. Achieving human-like manipulation and grasping with soft robotic actuators requires at least some form of sensing, which often comes at the cost of complex fabrication and purposefully built sensor structures. In this paper, we utilize the actuating fluid itself as a sensing medium to achieve high-fidelity proprioception in a soft actuator. As our sensors are somewhat unstructured, their readings are difficult to interpret using linear models. We therefore present a proof of concept of a method for deriving the pose of the soft actuator using recurrent neural networks. We present the experimental setup and our learned state estimator to show that our method is viable for achieving proprioception and is also robust to common sensor failures.

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Kim, Woo Soo, and Jamie Paik. "Soft Bionic Sensors and Actuators." Advanced Intelligent Systems 3, no. 3 (March 2021): 2100003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202100003.

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Sun, Guangkai, Yang Hu, Mingli Dong, Yanlin He, Mingxin Yu, and Lianqing Zhu. "Posture measurement of soft pneumatic bending actuator using optical fibre-based sensing membrane." Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application 46, no. 1 (January 21, 2019): 118–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ir-08-2018-0159.

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Purpose Soft robotics is a burgeoning field owing to its high adaptability and safety in human–machine interaction and unstructured environments. However, the feedback control of soft actuators with flexible sensors is still a challenge. Design/methodology/approach To address this issue, this study proposes an optical fibre-based sensing membrane for the posture measurement of soft pneumatic bending actuators. The major contribution is the development of a flexible sensing membrane with a high sensitivity and repeatability for the feedback control of soft actuators. The characteristics of sensing membrane were analysed. The relationship between wavelength shift and bending curvature was derived. The curvatures of soft actuator were measured at four bending status, and the postures were reconstructed. Findings The results indicate that the measurement error is less than 2.1% of the actual bending curvature. The sensitivity is up to 212.8 pm/m−1, and the signal fluctuation in repeated measurements is negligible. This approach has broad application prospects in soft robotics, because it makes the optical fibre achieve more strength and compatible with soft actuators, thus improving the sensing accuracy, sensitivity and reliability of fibre sensors. Originality/value Different from previous approaches, an optical fibre with FBGs is embedded into a multilayered polyimide film to form a flexible sensing membrane, and the membrane is embedded into a soft pneumatic bending actuator as the smart strain limited layer which is able to measure the posture in real time. This approach makes the optical fibre stronger and compatible with the soft pneumatic bending actuator, and the sensing accuracy, sensitivity and reliability are improved. The proposed sensing configuration is effective for the feedback control of the soft pneumatic bending actuators.

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Georgopoulou, Antonia, Lukas Egloff, Bram Vanderborght, and Frank Clemens. "A Soft Pneumatic Actuator with Integrated Deformation Sensing Elements Produced Exclusively with Extrusion Based Additive Manufacturing." Engineering Proceedings 6, no. 1 (May 17, 2021): 11. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/i3s2021dresden-10097.

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In recent years, soft pneumatic actuators have come into the spotlight because of their simple control and the wide range of complex motions. To monitor the deformation of soft robotic systems, elastomer-based sensors are being used. However, the embedding of sensors into soft actuator modules by polymer casting is time consuming and difficult to upscale. In this study, it is shown how a pneumatic bending actuator with an integrated sensing element can be produced using an extrusion-based additive manufacturing method, e.g., fused deposition modeling (FDM). The advantage of FDM against direct printing or robocasting is the significantly higher resolution and the ability to print large objectives in a short amount of time. New, commercial launched, pellet-based FDM printers are able to 3D print thermoplastic elastomers of low shore hardness that are required for soft robotic applications, to avoid high pressure for activation. A soft pneumatic actuator with the in situ integrated piezoresistive sensor element was successfully printed using a commercial styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPS) and a developed TPS/carbon black (CB) sensor composite. It has been demonstrated that the integrated sensing elements could monitor the deformation of the pneumatic soft robotic actuator. The findings of this study contribute to extending the applicability of additive manufacturing for integrated soft sensors in large soft robotic systems.

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MARTIN, JAN, SEBASTIAN BECK, ARNE LEHMANN, RALF MIKUT, CHRISTIAN PYLATIUK, STEFAN SCHULZ, and GEORG BRETTHAUER. "SENSORS, IDENTIFICATION, AND LOW LEVEL CONTROL OF A FLEXIBLE ANTHROPOMORPHIC ROBOT HAND." International Journal of Humanoid Robotics 01, no. 03 (September 2004): 517–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219843604000253.

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The successful control of a robot hand with multiple degrees of freedom not only requires sensors to determine the state of the hand but also a thorough understanding of the actuator system and its properties. This article presents a set of sensors and analyzes the actuator properties of an anthropomorphic robot hand driven by flexible fluidic actuators. These flexible and compact actuators are integrated directly into the finger joints, they can be driven either pneumatically or hydraulically. The sensors for the measurement of joint angles, contact forces, and fluid pressure are described; the designs utilize mostly commodity components. Hall sensors and customized half-ring rare-earth magnets are used to integrate the joint angle sensors directly into the actuated joints. A force sensor setup allowing soft finger surfaces is evaluated. Fluid pressure sensors are needed for the model-based computation of joint torques and to limit the actuator pressure. Static and dynamic actuator characteristics are determined in a theoretical process analysis, and suitable parameters are identified in several experiments. The resulting actuator model incorporates the viscoelastic material behavior and describes the relations of joint angle, actuator pressure, and actuator torque. It is used in simulations and for the design of a joint position controller.

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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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Takagi, Kentaro. "Polymer Actuators and Sensors for Soft Robotics." Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan 37, no. 1 (2019): 38–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.7210/jrsj.37.38.

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Arab Hassani, F., H. Jin, T. Yokota, T. Someya, and N. V. Thakor. "Soft sensors for a sensing-actuation system with high bladder voiding efficiency." Science Advances 6, no. 18 (May 2020): eaba0412. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba0412.

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Sensing-actuation systems can assist a bladder with lost sensation and weak muscle control. Here, we advance the relevant technology by integrating a soft and thin capacitive sensor with a shape memory alloy–based actuator to achieve a high-performance closed-loop configuration. In our design, sensors capable of continuous bladder volume detection and actuators with strong emptying force have been used. This integration has previously hindered performance due to large bladder volume changes. Our solution integrates sensing-actuation elements that are bladder compatible but do not interfere with one another, achieving real-time bladder management. The system attains a highly desirable voiding target of 71 to 100% of a rat’s bladder with a volume sensitivity of 0.7 μF/liter. Our system represents an efficient voiding solution that avoids overfilling and represents a technological solution to bladder impairment treatment, serving as a model for similar soft sensor-actuator integration with other organs.

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Wei, Yao, Shihao Li, Xiaofan Zhang, Yanjun Fu, and Kejian Chen. "Smart Devices Based on the Soft Actuator with Nafion-Polypropylene-PDMS/Graphite Multilayer Structure." Applied Sciences 10, no. 5 (March 6, 2020): 1829. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app10051829.

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The demand for multi-functional soft actuators with simple fabrication and fast response to multiple stimuli is increasing in the field of smart devices. However, for existing actuators that respond to a single stimulus, it is difficult to meet the requirements of application diversity. Herein, a type of multi-stimulus responsive soft actuator based on the Nafion-Polypropylene-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/Graphite multilayer membranes is proposed. Such actuators have an excellent reversible response to optical/thermal and humidity stimulation, which can reach a 224.56° bending angle in a relative humidity of 95% within 5 s and a maximum bending angle of 324.65° in 31 s when the platform temperature is 80 °C, and has a faster response (<0.5 s) to optical stimuli, as an asymmetric structure allows it to bend in both directions. Based on such an actuator, some applications like flexible grippers and switches to carry items or control circuits, bionic flytraps to capture and release “prey”, have also been developed and studied. These provide potential applications in the fields of soft sensors, artificial skin and flexible robots.

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Zhou, Xinyi, and Wenhan Cao. "Flexible and Stretchable Carbon-Based Sensors and Actuators for Soft Robots." Nanomaterials 13, no. 2 (January 12, 2023): 316. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nano13020316.

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In recent years, the emergence of low-dimensional carbon-based materials, such as carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, together with the advances in materials science, have greatly enriched the variety of flexible and stretchable electronic devices. Compared with conventional rigid devices, these soft robotic sensors and actuators exhibit remarkable advantages in terms of their biocompatibility, portability, power efficiency, and wearability, thus creating myriad possibilities of novel wearable and implantable tactile sensors, as well as micro-/nano-soft actuation systems. Interestingly, not only are carbon-based materials ideal constituents for photodetectors, gas, thermal, triboelectric sensors due to their geometry and extraordinary sensitivity to various external stimuli, but they also provide significantly more precise manipulation of the actuators than conventional centimeter-scale pneumatic and hydraulic robotic actuators, at a molecular level. In this review, we summarize recent progress on state-of-the-art flexible and stretchable carbon-based sensors and actuators that have creatively added to the development of biomedicine, nanoscience, materials science, as well as soft robotics. In the end, we propose the future potential of carbon-based materials for biomedical and soft robotic applications.

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Calvert, Paul. "Gel Sensors and Actuators." MRS Bulletin 33, no. 3 (March 2008): 207–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/mrs2008.46.

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AbstractGels, soft polymeric or composite materials that have a high fraction of water, are often found as structural materials and actuators in nature but have so far not found many uses when fabricated synthetically. We first examine some natural systems such as jellyfish, sea anemones, starfish, legumes, and human tissue, all having interesting ways of moving or otherwise reacting to the surrounding environment. Then we discuss swelling and cross-linking of hydrogels, followed by a look at actuation by electrically, thermally, and chemically stimulated gels, noting that electrical stimulation needs a chemical intermediary to show substantial actuation (comparable to human muscle, for instance). Electroactive gels have great potential as sensors and actuators but their actual uses are mainly restricted to passive drug delivery and matrices for sensors. For most applications as artificial muscles, electrically driven actuators are too weak, but chemically driven actuators look very promising. Better ways of coupling electrical energy to chemically driven gels are needed.

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Walker, James, Thomas Zidek, Cory Harbel, Sanghyun Yoon, F. Sterling Strickland, Srinivas Kumar, and Minchul Shin. "Soft Robotics: A Review of Recent Developments of Pneumatic Soft Actuators." Actuators 9, no. 1 (January 10, 2020): 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act9010003.

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This paper focuses on the recent development of soft pneumatic actuators for soft robotics over the past few years, concentrating on the following four categories: control systems, material and construction, modeling, and sensors. This review work seeks to provide an accelerated entrance to new researchers in the field to encourage research and innovation. Advances in methods to accurately model soft robotic actuators have been researched, optimizing and making numerous soft robotic designs applicable to medical, manufacturing, and electronics applications. Multi-material 3D printed and fiber optic soft pneumatic actuators have been developed, which will allow for more accurate positioning and tactile feedback for soft robotic systems. Also, a variety of research teams have made improvements to soft robot control systems to utilize soft pneumatic actuators to allow for operations to move more effectively. This review work provides an accessible repository of recent information and comparisons between similar works. Future issues facing soft robotic actuators include portable and flexible power supplies, circuit boards, and drive components.

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Jiang, Shulan, and Li Xia. "Bioinspired High-Performance Bilayer, pH-Responsive Hydrogel with Superior Adhesive Property." Polymers 14, no. 20 (October 19, 2022): 4425. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym14204425.

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Soft actuators have attracted extensive attention for promising applications in drug delivery, microfluidic switches, artificial muscles and flexible sensors. However, the performance of pH-responsive hydrogel actuators, such as regarding reversible bending property and adhesive property, remains to be improved. In this study, inspired by drosera leaves, we have fabricated high-performance bilayer, pH-responsive poly(acrylamide-acrylic acid-3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid)(P(AAm-AAc-3-AAPBA)) based on the copolymers of AAm, AAc and 3-AAPBA. The pH-sensitive actuators were fabricated by ultraviolet polymerization of the P(AAm-AAc-3-AAPBA) layer as the active actuating layer and the PAAm layer as the auxiliary actuating layer. The effects of pH, glucose concentration and content of 3-AAPBA on bending behavior of P(AAm-AAc-3-AAPBA)/PAAm bilayer actuators were discussed. By tuning the pH of media, the soft actuator could achieve fast and large-amplitude bidirectional bending behaviors. The bending orientation and bending degree can be reversibly and precisely adjusted. More importantly, P(AAm-AAc-3-AAPBA) hydrogel shows good adhesive property in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution; thus, complex structures have been fabricated. In addition, the bilayer hydrogel structures have been demonstrated as soft actuators, bionic flowers and bionic manipulators. The proposed pH-responsive bilayer actuator shows great potential for drug delivery and other medical systems.

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Tawk, Charbel, and Gursel Alici. "Finite Element Modeling in the Design Process of 3D Printed Pneumatic Soft Actuators and Sensors." Robotics 9, no. 3 (July 7, 2020): 52. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/robotics9030052.

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The modeling of soft structures, actuators, and sensors is challenging, primarily due to the high nonlinearities involved in such soft robotic systems. Finite element modeling (FEM) is an effective technique to represent soft and deformable robotic systems containing geometric nonlinearities due to large mechanical deformations, material nonlinearities due to the inherent nonlinear behavior of the materials (i.e., stress-strain behavior) involved in such systems, and contact nonlinearities due to the surfaces that come into contact upon deformation. Prior to the fabrication of such soft robotic systems, FEM can be used to predict their behavior efficiently and accurately under various inputs and optimize their performance and topology to meet certain design and performance requirements. In this article, we present the implementation of FEM in the design process of directly three-dimensional (3D) printed pneumatic soft actuators and sensors to accurately predict their behavior and optimize their performance and topology. We present numerical and experimental results to show that this approach is very effective to rapidly and efficiently design the soft actuators and sensors to meet certain design requirements and to save time, modeling, design, and fabrication resources.

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Rizzello, Gianluca. "A Review of Cooperative Actuator and Sensor Systems Based on Dielectric Elastomer Transducers." Actuators 12, no. 2 (January 18, 2023): 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act12020046.

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This paper presents an overview of cooperative actuator and sensor systems based on dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers. A DE consists of a flexible capacitor made of a thin layer of soft dielectric material (e.g., acrylic, silicone) surrounded with a compliant electrode, which is able to work as an actuator or as a sensor. Features such as large deformation, high compliance, flexibility, energy efficiency, lightweight, self-sensing, and low cost make DE technology particularly attractive for the realization of mechatronic systems that are capable of performance not achievable with alternative technologies. If several DEs are arranged in an array-like configuration, new concepts of cooperative actuator/sensor systems can be enabled, in which novel applications and features are made possible by the synergistic operations among nearby elements. The goal of this paper is to review recent advances in the area of cooperative DE systems technology. After summarizing the basic operating principle of DE transducers, several applications of cooperative DE actuators and sensors from the recent literature are discussed, ranging from haptic interfaces and bio-inspired robots to micro-scale devices and tactile sensors. Finally, challenges and perspectives for the future development of cooperative DE systems are discussed.

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Li, Jun, Wai-Yeung Wong, and Xiao-ming Tao. "Recent advances in soft functional materials: preparation, functions and applications." Nanoscale 12, no. 3 (2020): 1281–306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c9nr07035d.

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This review discusses the recent progress of three kinds of soft materials, namely gels, foams and elastomers, with emphasis on materials, properties and applications in flexible sensors, soft actuators, energy convention and storage.

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KANNO, Ryo, and Jun SHINTAKE. "Soft sensors and actuators based on conductive acrylic elastomer." Proceedings of the Dynamics & Design Conference 2020 (August 25, 2020): 357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1299/jsmedmc.2020.357.

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Bahramzadeh, Yousef, and Mohsen Shahinpoor. "A Review of Ionic Polymeric Soft Actuators and Sensors." Soft Robotics 1, no. 1 (March 2014): 38–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/soro.2013.0006.

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Ali, Athar, Vigilio Fontanari, Werner Schmoelz, and Marco Fontana. "Actuator and Contact Force Modeling of an Active Soft Brace for Scoliosis." Bioengineering 9, no. 7 (July 11, 2022): 303. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9070303.

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Scoliosis is an abnormality of the spinal curvature that severely affects the musculoskeletal, respiratory, and nervous systems. Conventionally, it is treated using rigid spinal braces. These braces are static, rigid, and passive in nature, and they (largely) limit the mobility of the spine, resulting in other spinal complexities. Moreover, these braces do not have precise control over how much force is being applied by them. Over-exertion of force may deteriorate the spinal condition. This article presents a novel active soft brace that allows mobility to the spine while applying controlled corrective forces that are regulated by varying the tensions in elastic bands using low-power light weight twisted string actuators (TSAs). This article focuses on the actuator and contact force modeling of the active soft brace (ASB). The actuator modeling is required to translate the twisting of string in terms of contraction of the string’s length, whereas the contact force modeling helps in estimating the net resultant force exerted by the band on the body using single point pressure/force sensors. The actuators (TSAs) are modeled as helix geometry and validated using a laser position sensor. The results showed that the model effectively tracked the position (contraction in length) with root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.7386 mm. The contact force is modeled using the belt and pulley contact model and validated by building a custom testbed. The actuator module is able to regulate the pressure in the range 0–6 Kpa, which is comparable to 0–8 Kpa pressure regulated in rigid braces. This makes it possible to verify and demonstrate the working principle of the proposed active soft brace.

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Georgopoulou, Antonia, Lukas Egloff, Bram Vanderborght, and Frank Clemens. "A Sensorized Soft Pneumatic Actuator Fabricated with Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing." Actuators 10, no. 5 (May 10, 2021): 102. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act10050102.

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Soft pneumatic actuators with a channel network (pneu-net) based on thermoplastic elastomers are compatible with fused deposition modeling (FDM). However, conventional filament-based fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers are not well suited for thermoplastic elastomers with a shore hardness (Sh < 70A). Therefore, in this study, a pellet-based FDM printer was used to print pneumatic actuators with a shore hardness of Sh18A. Additionally, the method allowed the in situ integration of soft piezoresistive sensing elements during the fabrication. The integrated piezoresistive elements were based on conductive composites made of three different styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) thermoplastic elastomers, each with a carbon black (CB) filler with a ratio of 1:1. The best sensor behavior was achieved by the SEBS material with a shore hardness of Sh50A. The dynamic and quasi-static sensor behavior were investigated on SEBS strips with integrated piezoresistive sensor composite material, and the results were compared with TPU strips from a previous study. Finally, the piezoresistive composite was used for the FDM printing of soft pneumatic actuators with a shore hardness of 18 A. It is worth mentioning that 3 h were needed for the fabrication of the soft pneumatic actuator with an integrated strain sensing element. In comparison to classical mold casting method, this is faster, since curing post-processing is not required and will help the industrialization of pneumatic actuator-based soft robotics.

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Wang, Shuyu, Zhaojia Sun, Shuaiyang Duan, Yuliang Zhao, Xiaopeng Sha, Shifeng Yu, and Lei Zuo. "A Hydrogel-Based Self-Sensing Underwater Actuator." Micromachines 13, no. 10 (October 19, 2022): 1779. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi13101779.

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Soft robots made of hydrogels are suited for underwater exploration due to their biocompatibility and compliancy. Yet, reaching high dexterity and actuation force for hydrogel-based actuators is challenging. Meanwhile, real-time proprioception is critical for feedback control. Moreover, sensor integration to mimic living organisms remains problematic. To address these challenges, we introduce a hydrogel actuator driven by hydraulic force with a fast response (time constant 0.83 s). The highly stretchable and conductive hydrogel (1400% strain) is molded into the PneuNet shape, and two of them are further assembled symmetrically to actuate bi-directionally. Then, we demonstrate its bionic application for underwater swimming, showing 2 cm/s (0.19 BL/s) speed. Inspired by biological neuromuscular systems’ sensory motion, which unifies the sensing and actuation in a single unit, we explore the hydrogel actuator’s self-sensing capacity utilizing strain-induced resistance change. The results show that the soft actuator’s proprioception can monitor the undulation in real-time with a sensitivity of 0.2%/degree. Furthermore, we take a finite-element method and first-order differential equations to model the actuator’s bending in response to pressure. We show that such a model can precisely predict the robot’s bending response over a range of pressures. With the self-sensing actuator and the proposed model, we expect the new approach can lead to future soft robots for underwater exploration with feedback control, and the underlying mechanism of the undulation control might offer significant insights for biomimetic research.

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Kaynak, Akif, and Ali Zolfagharian. "Functional Polymers in Sensors and Actuators: Fabrication and Analysis." Polymers 12, no. 7 (July 15, 2020): 1569. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym12071569.

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Recent advances in fabrication techniques have enabled the production of different types of polymer sensors and actuators that can be utilized in a wide range of applications, such as soft robotics, biomedical, smart textiles and energy harvesting [...]

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Lu, Sitong, Diansheng Chen, Ruidong Hao, Shifu Luo, and Min Wang. "Design, fabrication and characterization of soft sensors through EGaIn for soft pneumatic actuators." Measurement 164 (November 2020): 107996. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2020.107996.

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Lutz‐Bueno, Viviane, Sreenath Bolisetty, Paride Azzari, Stephan Handschin, and Raffaele Mezzenga. "Self‐Winding Gelatin–Amyloid Wires for Soft Actuators and Sensors." Advanced Materials 32, no. 48 (October 26, 2020): 2004941. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202004941.

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Grasinger, Matthew, and Kaushik Dayal. "Statistical mechanical analysis of the electromechanical coupling in an electrically-responsive polymer chain." Soft Matter 16, no. 27 (2020): 6265–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0sm00845a.

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Polymers that couple deformation and electrostatics have potential application in soft sensors and actuators for robotics and biomedical technologies. This paper applies statistical mechanics to study their coupled electromechanical response.

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Leal-Junior, Arnaldo G., Wagner Coimbra, Carlos Marques, and Anselmo Frizera. "Highly Stretchable Polymer Optical Fiber for Mechanical Sensing in Artificial Tendons: Towards Novel Sensors for Soft Robotics." Actuators 9, no. 4 (November 30, 2020): 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/act9040125.

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The control of tendon-driven actuators is mainly affected by the tendon behavior under stress or strain. The measurement of these parameters on artificial tendons brings benefits on the control and novel approaches for soft robotics actuators. This paper presents the development of polymer optical fiber sensors fabricated through the light spinning polymerization process (LPS-POF) in artificial tendons. This fiber has exceptionally low Young’s modulus and high strain limits, suitable for sensing applications in soft structures. Two different configurations are tested, indicating the possibility of measuring strain and stress applied in the tendon with determination coefficients of 0.996 and 0.994, respectively.

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Bhardwaj, Jyotirmoy, Karunesh K. Gupta, and Rajiv Gupta. "Towards a cyber-physical era: soft computing framework based multi-sensor array for water quality monitoring." Drinking Water Engineering and Science 11, no. 1 (February 5, 2018): 9–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/dwes-11-9-2018.

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Abstract. New concepts and techniques are replacing traditional methods of water quality parameter measurement systems. This paper introduces a cyber-physical system (CPS) approach for water quality assessment in a distribution network. Cyber-physical systems with embedded sensors, processors and actuators can be designed to sense and interact with the water environment. The proposed CPS is comprised of sensing framework integrated with five different water quality parameter sensor nodes and soft computing framework for computational modelling. Soft computing framework utilizes the applications of Python for user interface and fuzzy sciences for decision making. Introduction of multiple sensors in a water distribution network generates a huge number of data matrices, which are sometimes highly complex, difficult to understand and convoluted for effective decision making. Therefore, the proposed system framework also intends to simplify the complexity of obtained sensor data matrices and to support decision making for water engineers through a soft computing framework. The target of this proposed research is to provide a simple and efficient method to identify and detect presence of contamination in a water distribution network using applications of CPS.

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Saga, Norihiko, Kunio Shimada, Douhaku Inamori, Naoki Saito, Toshiyuki Satoh, and Jun-ya Nagase. "Smart Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Using a Bend Sensor like a Human Muscle with a Muscle Spindle." Sensors 22, no. 22 (November 19, 2022): 8975. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22228975.

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Shortage of labor and increased work of young people are causing problems in terms of care and welfare of a growing proportion of elderly people. This is a looming social problem because people of advanced ages are increasing. Necessary in the fields of care and welfare, pneumatic artificial muscles in actuators of robots are being examined. Pneumatic artificial muscles have a high output per unit of weight, and they are soft, similarly to human muscles. However, in previous research of robots using pneumatic artificial muscles, rigid sensors were often installed at joints and other locations due to the robots’ structures. Therefore, we developed a smart actuator that integrates a bending sensor that functions as a human muscle spindle; it can be externally attached to the pneumatic artificial muscle. This paper reports a smart artificial muscle actuator that can sense contraction, which can be applied to developed self-monitoring and robot posture control.

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Kulasekera, Asitha, Rancimal Arumathanthri, Damith Chathuranga, Ruwan Gopura, and Thilina Lalitharathne. "Have difficulty standing up? soft exosuitsare here to help!" Bolgoda Plains 1, no. 2 (2021): 41–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.31705/bprm.v2.2021.11.

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robotics is a novel disruptive technology that is revolutionizing the fields of robotics. Innovative use of compliant materials by researchers has elevated soft robotics over contemporary technologies. The Computational Sensing and Smart Machines (CSSM) laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, has been taking strides in the development of soft robotics, ranging from actuators, sensors, and applications.

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Davis, R. N., M. E. Polites, and L. C. Trevino. "Autonomous Component Health Management with Failed Component Detection, Identification, and Avoidance." Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering 219, no. 6 (June 1, 2005): 483–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1243/095441005x30270.

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This article describes a novel scheme for autonomous component health management (ACHM) with failed actuator detection and identification and failed sensor detection, identification, and avoidance. This new scheme has features that are very superior to those with triple redundant sensing and voting, yet requires fewer sensors; it can be applied to any system with redundant sensing. Relevant background to the ACHM scheme is provided in this article. Simulation results for its application to a single-axis spacecraft attitude control system with a third-order plant and dual-redundant measurements of the system states are presented. The ACHM scheme fulfills key functions needed by an integrated vehicle health monitoring (IVHM) system. It is autonomous; is adaptive; works in real time; provides optimal state estimation; identifies failed components; avoids failed components; reconfigures for multiple failures, reconfigures for intermittent failures; works for hard-over, soft, and zero-output failures; and works for both open- and closed-loop systems. The ACHM scheme combines a prefilter that generates preliminary estimates of the system states, detects and identifies failed sensors and actuators, and avoids failed sensors in generating preliminary estimates of the system states with a fixed-gain Kalman filter that provides model-based state estimates, which are utilized in the failure detection logic, and generates optimal estimates for the system states. The simulation results show that ACHM can successfully detect, identify, and avoid sensor failures that are single or multiple; persistent and intermittent; and hard-over, soft, and zero-output types. It is now ready to be tested on a computer model of an actual system.

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Bernat, Jakub, and Jakub Kołota. "DEAP Actuator Composed of a Soft Pneumatic Spring Bias with Pressure Signal Sensing." Energies 14, no. 4 (February 23, 2021): 1189. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14041189.

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Dielectric electroactive actuators are novel and significant smart actuators. The crucial aspect of construction of these devices is the bias mechanism. The current literature presents three main types of biases used in the construction of the DEAP actuators. In these solutions, the bias is caused by the action of a spring, a force of a permanent magnet or an applied mass. The purpose of this article is to present a novel type of DEAP bias mechanism using soft pneumatic spring. In contrast to the solutions presented so far, the soft pneumatic spring has been equipped with a sensor that measures the variable pressure of its inner chamber. We performed the modeling process of a soft pneumatic spring with the finite element method to predict its mechanical behavior. Furthermore, a prototype of the soft spring was molded and used to construct a dielectric electroactive polymer actuator. The principle of operation has been confirmed by the experiments with measurement of static and dynamics characteristics. The presented device can be used to control systems with an additional pressure-sensing feedback.

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Kim, Taeyeong, Dong-min Kim, Bong Jae Lee, and Jungchul Lee. "Soft and Deformable Sensors Based on Liquid Metals." Sensors 19, no. 19 (September 30, 2019): 4250. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s19194250.

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Liquid metals are one of the most interesting and promising materials due to their electrical, fluidic, and thermophysical properties. With the aid of their exceptional deformable natures, liquid metals are now considered to be electrically conductive materials for sensors and actuators, major constituent transducers in soft robotics, that can experience and withstand significant levels of mechanical deformation. For the upcoming era of wearable electronics and soft robotics, we would like to offer an up-to-date overview of liquid metal-based soft (thus significantly deformable) sensors mainly but not limited to researchers in relevant fields. This paper will thoroughly highlight and critically review recent literature on design, fabrication, characterization, and application of liquid metal devices and suggest scientific and engineering routes towards liquid metal sensing devices of tomorrow.

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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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Song, Hyeonseo, Hajun Lee, Junghyo Kim, and Jiyun Kim. "Recent Advances in Soft Magnetic Actuators and Sensors using Magnetic Particles." Journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute 28, no. 6 (December 30, 2021): 509–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.4150/kpmi.2021.28.6.509.

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Thayer, Doug, Mark Campbell, Juris Vagners, and Andrew von Flotow. "Six-Axis Vibration Isolation System Using Soft Actuators and Multiple Sensors." Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets 39, no. 2 (March 2002): 206–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/2.3821.

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Fujitani, Kiichi, Wataru Toyama, Manabu Okui, and Taro Nakamura. "Development of strain sensors based on conductive paste for soft actuators." Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec) 2021 (2021): 2P1—E05. http://dx.doi.org/10.1299/jsmermd.2021.2p1-e05.

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Yang, Yang, and Yonghua Chen. "Innovative Design of Embedded Pressure and Position Sensors for Soft Actuators." IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 3, no. 2 (April 2018): 656–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/lra.2017.2779542.

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Chen, Dustin, and Qibing Pei. "Electronic Muscles and Skins: A Review of Soft Sensors and Actuators." Chemical Reviews 117, no. 17 (August 17, 2017): 11239–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00019.

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Gerboni, Giada, Alessandro Diodato, Gastone Ciuti, Matteo Cianchetti, and Arianna Menciassi. "Feedback Control of Soft Robot Actuators via Commercial Flex Bend Sensors." IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 22, no. 4 (August 2017): 1881–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/tmech.2017.2699677.

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Leang, K. K., F. Iida, J. Paik, Y. L. Park, and J. Ueda. "Guest Editorial Focused Section on Soft Actuators, Sensors, and Components (SASC)." IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 24, no. 1 (February 2019): 1–4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/tmech.2019.2894821.

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Justus, Kyle B., Tess Hellebrekers, Daniel D. Lewis, Adam Wood, Christian Ingham, Carmel Majidi, Philip R. LeDuc, and Cheemeng Tan. "A biosensing soft robot: Autonomous parsing of chemical signals through integrated organic and inorganic interfaces." Science Robotics 4, no. 31 (June 26, 2019): eaax0765. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aax0765.

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The integration of synthetic biology and soft robotics can fundamentally advance sensory, diagnostic, and therapeutic functionality of bioinspired machines. However, such integration is currently impeded by the lack of soft-matter architectures that interface synthetic cells with electronics and actuators for controlled stimulation and response during robotic operation. Here, we synthesized a soft gripper that uses engineered bacteria for detecting chemicals in the environment, a flexible light-emitting diode (LED) circuit for converting biological to electronic signals, and soft pneu-net actuators for converting the electronic signals to movement of the gripper. We show that the hybrid bio-LED-actuator module enabled the gripper to detect chemical signals by applying pressure and releasing the contents of a chemical-infused hydrogel. The biohybrid gripper used chemical sensing and feedback to make actionable decisions during a pick-and-place operation. This work opens previously unidentified avenues in soft materials, synthetic biology, and integrated interfacial robotic systems.

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Yuan, Jianghong, Canan Dagdeviren, Yan Shi, Yinji Ma, Xue Feng, John A. Rogers, and Yonggang Huang. "Computational models for the determination of depth-dependent mechanical properties of skin with a soft, flexible measurement device." Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 472, no. 2194 (October 2016): 20160225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2016.0225.

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Conformal modulus sensors (CMS) incorporate PZT nanoribbons as mechanical actuators and sensors to achieve reversible conformal contact with the human skin for non-invasive, in vivo measurements of skin modulus. An analytic model presented in this paper yields expressions that connect the sensor output voltage to the Young moduli of the epidermis and dermis, the thickness of the epidermis, as well as the material and geometrical parameters of the CMS device itself and its encapsulation layer. Results from the model agree well with in vitro experiments on bilayer structures of poly(dimethylsiloxane). These results provide a means to determine the skin moduli (epidermis and dermis) and the thickness of the epidermis from in vivo measurements of human skin.

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ZHU, ZICAI, HUIBIAO LI, HUALING CHEN, and JINXIONG ZHOU. "SYNTHESIS, EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PARAMETRIC IDENTIFICATION OF IONIC-POLYMER METAL COMPOSITE BENDING ACTUATORS." International Journal of Computational Materials Science and Engineering 01, no. 01 (March 2012): 1250012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s2047684112500121.

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Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuator is a sandwiched structure with a thin polyelectrolyte strip or membrane plated with metal electrodes on both sides. Under a low applied voltage the IPMC strip bends toward either electrode depending on its polarity, forming a soft actuator for potential diverse applications. We report in details our methodologies for synthesizing IPMC with high quality electrode morphologies. We describe our experimental setup for measuring the physical and mechanical properties of IPMC. In conjunction with the experimental characterization, we finally present a parameter identification scheme to identify two key parameters for establishing relationship between unbalanced charge density and the associated electrostatic eigenstress, a constitutive law widely used in IPMC literature. The experimental and simulation procedures presented herein pave the avenue for fabrication, characterization and development of novel IPMC-based sensors and actuators.

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Chen, Yu, Yiduo Yang, Mengjiao Li, Erdong Chen, Weilei Mu, Rosie Fisher, and Rong Yin. "Wearable Actuators: An Overview." Textiles 1, no. 2 (August 24, 2021): 283–321. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/textiles1020015.

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The booming wearable market and recent advances in material science has led to the rapid development of the various wearable sensors, actuators, and devices that can be worn, embedded in fabric, accessorized, or tattooed directly onto the skin. Wearable actuators, a subcategory of wearable technology, have attracted enormous interest from researchers in various disciplines and many wearable actuators and devices have been developed in the past few decades to assist and improve people’s everyday lives. In this paper, we review the actuation mechanisms, structures, applications, and limitations of recently developed wearable actuators including pneumatic and hydraulic actuators, shape memory alloys and polymers, thermal and hygroscopic materials, dielectric elastomers, ionic and conducting polymers, piezoelectric actuators, electromagnetic actuators, liquid crystal elastomers, etc. Examples of recent applications such as wearable soft robots, haptic devices, and personal thermal regulation textiles are highlighted. Finally, we point out the current bottleneck and suggest the prospective future research directions for wearable actuators.

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Wang, Yanjie, Hualing Chen, Jiayu Liu, Zicai Zhu, Longfei Chang, Dichen Li, and Shuhai Jia. "Aided manufacturing techniques and applications in optics and manipulation for ionic polymer-metal composites as soft sensors and actuators." Journal of Polymer Engineering 35, no. 7 (September 1, 2015): 611–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/polyeng-2014-0274.

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Abstract Recently, ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs), which are becoming an increasingly popular material, have been used as soft actuators because of their inherent properties of light weight, flexibility, softness, especially efficient transformation from electrical energy to mechanical energy with large bending strain response under low activation voltage. This paper mainly focuses on a review on optical and micromanipulation applications of IPMCs as soft actuators. After presenting the general mechanism of sensing and actuating in IPMCs, recent progresses are discussed about the preparation process and practical technologies, especially for aided manufacturing techniques defined as the methods to fabricate IPMC into all kinds of shapes in terms of the demands, which are reviewed for the first time. Then, a number of recent IPMC applications for optical actuators, grippers and catheters are reviewed and investigated in this paper. Further developments and suggestions for IPMCs are also discussed. Extensive previous researches are provided for references in detail.

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Journal articles on the topic 'Soft sensors and actuators'

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