Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121945
G. Hiramandala, T. Calais, Truman Stalin, A. Chooi, A. R. Plamootil MATHAI, S. Jain, Elgar Vikram Kanhere, P. V. y Alvarado
Soft robotics is an exciting new field of robotics that replaces stiff components with soft materials and actuators, making it an ideal way to design robotic companions. Robotic companions are becoming common and can be helpful in treating patients with dementia by providing comfort, a sense of companionship, and promoting a healthier lifestyle. This work presents a soft robotic companion that uses acupuncture and acupressure principles to facilitate relaxation to its users. Inspired by the hedgehog, the robot provides a unique interaction mode and uses a functional quill array to stimulate pressure points.
{"title":"Design and Additive Manufacturing of a Hedgehog-Inspired Soft Robot Companion","authors":"G. Hiramandala, T. Calais, Truman Stalin, A. Chooi, A. R. Plamootil MATHAI, S. Jain, Elgar Vikram Kanhere, P. V. y Alvarado","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121945","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121945","url":null,"abstract":"Soft robotics is an exciting new field of robotics that replaces stiff components with soft materials and actuators, making it an ideal way to design robotic companions. Robotic companions are becoming common and can be helpful in treating patients with dementia by providing comfort, a sense of companionship, and promoting a healthier lifestyle. This work presents a soft robotic companion that uses acupuncture and acupressure principles to facilitate relaxation to its users. Inspired by the hedgehog, the robot provides a unique interaction mode and uses a functional quill array to stimulate pressure points.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"56 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131209904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121920
Abdulaziz Alkayas, Daniel Feliú Talegon, A. Mathew, D. C. Rucker, F. Renda
Recent advances on Concentric Tube Robots (CTRs) enable the construction and analysis of concentric combinations of precurved elastic tubes. These robots are very appropriate for performing Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) with a reduction in patient recovery time. In this work, we propose a kinetostatic model for CTRs based on the Geometric Variable-Strain (GVS) approach where the tubes' sliding motion, the distributed external forces along the tubes and concentrated external forces at the tip, are included. Our approach allows us to estimate the shape of CTRs and the tip forces using the displacements of the tubes and the insertion and rotation input forces and torques. Moreover, we propose a modification in the model, which eliminates completely the sliding friction among the tubes. This new approach opens a new way to use CTRs in surgical applications without the need of sensors along the tubes, but only actuation measurements. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
{"title":"Shape and Tip Force Estimation of Concentric Tube Robots Based on Actuation Readings Alone","authors":"Abdulaziz Alkayas, Daniel Feliú Talegon, A. Mathew, D. C. Rucker, F. Renda","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121920","url":null,"abstract":"Recent advances on Concentric Tube Robots (CTRs) enable the construction and analysis of concentric combinations of precurved elastic tubes. These robots are very appropriate for performing Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) with a reduction in patient recovery time. In this work, we propose a kinetostatic model for CTRs based on the Geometric Variable-Strain (GVS) approach where the tubes' sliding motion, the distributed external forces along the tubes and concentrated external forces at the tip, are included. Our approach allows us to estimate the shape of CTRs and the tip forces using the displacements of the tubes and the insertion and rotation input forces and torques. Moreover, we propose a modification in the model, which eliminates completely the sliding friction among the tubes. This new approach opens a new way to use CTRs in surgical applications without the need of sensors along the tubes, but only actuation measurements. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"137 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131481583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122010
M. Han, D. Popa, C. Harnett
Grasping control is one of the key features of robot manipulation. Slipping detection, avoidance, and minimum force grasping are of primary concern since it is expected that robot manipulators have similar performance to human hands. In this work, a new type of optoelectronic sensor, which has a human-like soft skin but a simple design, is applied to slip motion control. Based on the model of this soft sensor and the robotic gripper, we describe a model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) to estimate unknown system parameters for grasping random objects. Update laws for unknown parameters are chosen by stability analysis and the system feasibility is illustrated through both numerical simulation and hardware experiment.
{"title":"Anti-Slipping Adaptive Grasping Control with a Novel Optoelectronic Soft Sensor","authors":"M. Han, D. Popa, C. Harnett","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122010","url":null,"abstract":"Grasping control is one of the key features of robot manipulation. Slipping detection, avoidance, and minimum force grasping are of primary concern since it is expected that robot manipulators have similar performance to human hands. In this work, a new type of optoelectronic sensor, which has a human-like soft skin but a simple design, is applied to slip motion control. Based on the model of this soft sensor and the robotic gripper, we describe a model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) to estimate unknown system parameters for grasping random objects. Update laws for unknown parameters are chosen by stability analysis and the system feasibility is illustrated through both numerical simulation and hardware experiment.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131593876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121971
Laurenz Elstner, Raquel Motzfeldt Tirach, E. Kyrkjebø, M. Stoelen
A Variable Stiffness Actuator (VSA) can vary the stiffness of a robot joint. Robots which use rigid links but soft joints like VSAs are known as articulated soft robots. The articulated soft robot arm in this paper uses an agonist/antagonist VSA setup with composite tendons made out of a soft material on the inside and an ideally non-elastic material on the outside. The outer material gradually aligns with the direction of the load, and compresses the inner soft material during extension. This provides a cheap and compact tendon that can be made to exhibit suitable spring characteristics for a VSA. The focus of the work presented here is to optimize the manufacturing process of these soft tendons through methodological tuning of parameters and the usage of off-the-shelf materials. The filament, outer sleeve and pulley configurations are modeled, and tensile testing used to provide data on the effect of different design parameters on the tendon properties. Soft tendons with an outer mesh sleeve that are easy to manufacture are implemented in a proof of concept experiment on the robot arm elbow joint. The results show that variable stiffness can be achieved with the proposed design but that the available outer sleeve is too flexible resulting in only a small range of stiffness levels. Several directions for improvement are identified.
{"title":"Comparing and Configuring Soft Tendon Designs for Variable Stiffness Actuators on a Robot Arm","authors":"Laurenz Elstner, Raquel Motzfeldt Tirach, E. Kyrkjebø, M. Stoelen","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121971","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121971","url":null,"abstract":"A Variable Stiffness Actuator (VSA) can vary the stiffness of a robot joint. Robots which use rigid links but soft joints like VSAs are known as articulated soft robots. The articulated soft robot arm in this paper uses an agonist/antagonist VSA setup with composite tendons made out of a soft material on the inside and an ideally non-elastic material on the outside. The outer material gradually aligns with the direction of the load, and compresses the inner soft material during extension. This provides a cheap and compact tendon that can be made to exhibit suitable spring characteristics for a VSA. The focus of the work presented here is to optimize the manufacturing process of these soft tendons through methodological tuning of parameters and the usage of off-the-shelf materials. The filament, outer sleeve and pulley configurations are modeled, and tensile testing used to provide data on the effect of different design parameters on the tendon properties. Soft tendons with an outer mesh sleeve that are easy to manufacture are implemented in a proof of concept experiment on the robot arm elbow joint. The results show that variable stiffness can be achieved with the proposed design but that the available outer sleeve is too flexible resulting in only a small range of stiffness levels. Several directions for improvement are identified.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132045983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121930
L. Arleo, Jasmine Pozzi, Niccolò Pagliarani, M. Cianchetti
Layer jamming and positive pressure jamming demonstrated great potential in soft robotic applications. The combination of these technologies can increase the performance of variable stiffness-oriented designs. Inspired by the shape of sea shell radial ribs, we introduce a planar lightweight device that can be easily adapted to different application scenarios, providing both significant stiffness variation and high load-bearing capabilities. Exploiting the ease of the system in terms of design and manufacturing, we tested the device with a different number of layers. It shows higher performances than standard layer jamming systems: in particular, the 1 layer per side version (7.5g) shows a variable stiffness ratio of 64:1 and a force required to reach a 10 mm deflection equal to 19N. The same values for the 5 layers per side version (17.2g) are 42.5:1 and 62N. These values are in line with the most promising innovative approaches reported in the literature on layer jamming. In addition, the presented results allow making a comparison between the introduced device and the biological counterpart in terms of performance, showing the validity of sea shells as a bioinspiration source for variable stiffness systems.
{"title":"Sea Shell Bioinspired Variable Stiffness Mechanism Enabled by Hybrid Jamming Transition","authors":"L. Arleo, Jasmine Pozzi, Niccolò Pagliarani, M. Cianchetti","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121930","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121930","url":null,"abstract":"Layer jamming and positive pressure jamming demonstrated great potential in soft robotic applications. The combination of these technologies can increase the performance of variable stiffness-oriented designs. Inspired by the shape of sea shell radial ribs, we introduce a planar lightweight device that can be easily adapted to different application scenarios, providing both significant stiffness variation and high load-bearing capabilities. Exploiting the ease of the system in terms of design and manufacturing, we tested the device with a different number of layers. It shows higher performances than standard layer jamming systems: in particular, the 1 layer per side version (7.5g) shows a variable stiffness ratio of 64:1 and a force required to reach a 10 mm deflection equal to 19N. The same values for the 5 layers per side version (17.2g) are 42.5:1 and 62N. These values are in line with the most promising innovative approaches reported in the literature on layer jamming. In addition, the presented results allow making a comparison between the introduced device and the biological counterpart in terms of performance, showing the validity of sea shells as a bioinspiration source for variable stiffness systems.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"93 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116477993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122020
Jacopo Quaglierini, M. Arroyo, A. DeSimone
McKibben artificial muscles are an important example of braided, tubular structures made of many interwoven helical fibers. Their highly non-linear response is very robust and reproducible, making them particularly suitable for applications in Soft Robotics. The rich behavior of McKibben actuators has been studied either through minimal geometric models or through complex Finite Elements Method (FEM) simulations. To obtain a simpler yet accurate model for McKibben actuators, we develop a simplified framework entirely based on the geometry of the virtual envelope surface defined by the fibers of the mesh. In the axisymmetric cases studied here, the problem boils down to solving for a single scalar field of one scalar variable. We validate our model by solving contractor and extensor muscle configurations and comparing them against experimental and numerical results from the literature, achieving good agreement at a significantly lower computational cost. Simulations reveal that loads are sustained mostly by the braided mesh, whereas the inner chamber stores most of the external work as elastic energy. This phenomenon explains why simplified formulas for force-pressure relationship may be quite effective in predicting the behavior of McKibben actuators.
{"title":"Mechanics of tubular meshes made of helical fibers and application to modeling McKibben artificial muscles","authors":"Jacopo Quaglierini, M. Arroyo, A. DeSimone","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122020","url":null,"abstract":"McKibben artificial muscles are an important example of braided, tubular structures made of many interwoven helical fibers. Their highly non-linear response is very robust and reproducible, making them particularly suitable for applications in Soft Robotics. The rich behavior of McKibben actuators has been studied either through minimal geometric models or through complex Finite Elements Method (FEM) simulations. To obtain a simpler yet accurate model for McKibben actuators, we develop a simplified framework entirely based on the geometry of the virtual envelope surface defined by the fibers of the mesh. In the axisymmetric cases studied here, the problem boils down to solving for a single scalar field of one scalar variable. We validate our model by solving contractor and extensor muscle configurations and comparing them against experimental and numerical results from the literature, achieving good agreement at a significantly lower computational cost. Simulations reveal that loads are sustained mostly by the braided mesh, whereas the inner chamber stores most of the external work as elastic energy. This phenomenon explains why simplified formulas for force-pressure relationship may be quite effective in predicting the behavior of McKibben actuators.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"51 2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123693975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122024
V. Sundaram, Raunaq M. Bhirangi, M. Rentschler, Abhi Gupta, T. Hellebrekers
Advances in robotics and rapid prototyping have spurred interest in soft grippers across diverse fields ranging from medical devices to warehouse robotics. With this growing interest, it is imperative to create straight-forward soft grippers with embedded sensing that are more accessible to people outside of the soft robotics community. The DragonClaw - a 3D-printable, pneumatically actuated, three-fingered dexterous gripper with embedded magnetic tactile sensing - is intended to bridge this gap. The 2-DOF thumb design allows for a range of precision and power grasps, enabling the DragonClaw to complete a modified Kapandji test for dexterous ability. The operating range of the gripper is characterized through experiments on grip strength and finger blocking force. Further, the integrated magnetic sensor, ReSkin, is successfully demon-strated in a closed-loop control task to respond to external disturbances. Finally, the documentation, bill of materials, and detailed instructions to replicate the DragonClaw are made available on the DragonClaw website, encouraging people with wide ranging expertise to reproduce this work. In summary, the novelty of this work is the integration of soft robotic gripper feedback in a form factor that can easily be reproduced by inexpensive, simplified manufacturing methods.
{"title":"DragonClaw: A low-cost pneumatic gripper with integrated magnetic sensing","authors":"V. Sundaram, Raunaq M. Bhirangi, M. Rentschler, Abhi Gupta, T. Hellebrekers","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122024","url":null,"abstract":"Advances in robotics and rapid prototyping have spurred interest in soft grippers across diverse fields ranging from medical devices to warehouse robotics. With this growing interest, it is imperative to create straight-forward soft grippers with embedded sensing that are more accessible to people outside of the soft robotics community. The DragonClaw - a 3D-printable, pneumatically actuated, three-fingered dexterous gripper with embedded magnetic tactile sensing - is intended to bridge this gap. The 2-DOF thumb design allows for a range of precision and power grasps, enabling the DragonClaw to complete a modified Kapandji test for dexterous ability. The operating range of the gripper is characterized through experiments on grip strength and finger blocking force. Further, the integrated magnetic sensor, ReSkin, is successfully demon-strated in a closed-loop control task to respond to external disturbances. Finally, the documentation, bill of materials, and detailed instructions to replicate the DragonClaw are made available on the DragonClaw website, encouraging people with wide ranging expertise to reproduce this work. In summary, the novelty of this work is the integration of soft robotic gripper feedback in a form factor that can easily be reproduced by inexpensive, simplified manufacturing methods.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"27 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120894710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122047
Max Bartholdt, Rebecca Berthold, M. Schappler
Controller design for continuum robots maintains to be a difficult task. Testing controllers requires dedicated work in manufacturing and investment into hardware as well as software, to acquire a test bench capable of performing dynamic control tasks. Typically, proprietary software for practical controller design such as Matlab/simulink is used but lacks specific implementations of soft material robots. This intermediate work presents the results of a toolchain to derive well-identified rod simulations. State-of-the-art methods to simulate the dynamics of continuum robots are integrated into an object-oriented implementation and wrapped into the Simulink framework. The generated S-function is capable of handling arbitrary, user-defined input such as pressure actuation or external tip forces as demonstrated in numerical examples. With application to a soft pneumatic actuator, stiffness parameters of a nonlinear hyperelastic material law are identified via finite element simulation and paired with heuristically identified damping parameters to perform dynamic simulation. To prove the general functionality of the simulation, a numerical example as well as a benchmark from literature is implemented and shown. A soft pneumatic actuator is used to generate validation data, which is in good accordance with the respective simulation output. The tool is provided as an open-source project****Code available under https://gitlab.com/soft_material_robotics/cosserat-rod-simulink-sfunction.
{"title":"Towards a Modular Framework for Visco-Hyperelastic Simulations of Soft Material Manipulators with Well-Parameterised Material","authors":"Max Bartholdt, Rebecca Berthold, M. Schappler","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122047","url":null,"abstract":"Controller design for continuum robots maintains to be a difficult task. Testing controllers requires dedicated work in manufacturing and investment into hardware as well as software, to acquire a test bench capable of performing dynamic control tasks. Typically, proprietary software for practical controller design such as Matlab/simulink is used but lacks specific implementations of soft material robots. This intermediate work presents the results of a toolchain to derive well-identified rod simulations. State-of-the-art methods to simulate the dynamics of continuum robots are integrated into an object-oriented implementation and wrapped into the Simulink framework. The generated S-function is capable of handling arbitrary, user-defined input such as pressure actuation or external tip forces as demonstrated in numerical examples. With application to a soft pneumatic actuator, stiffness parameters of a nonlinear hyperelastic material law are identified via finite element simulation and paired with heuristically identified damping parameters to perform dynamic simulation. To prove the general functionality of the simulation, a numerical example as well as a benchmark from literature is implemented and shown. A soft pneumatic actuator is used to generate validation data, which is in good accordance with the respective simulation output. The tool is provided as an open-source project****Code available under https://gitlab.com/soft_material_robotics/cosserat-rod-simulink-sfunction.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130615682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122049
Arne Baeyens, B. V. Raemdonck, E. Milana, D. Reynaerts, B. Gorissen
Soft robots designed within a conventional robotic framework typically consist of individually addressable compliant actuators that are merged together into a deformable body. For inflatable soft robots, this comes at a high cost of tethering which drastically limits their autonomy and versatility. This cost can be decreased by connecting multiple actuators in a fluidic network and partially offloading control to the passive interactions within the network. This type of morphological control necessitates some of the elements in the network to have nonlinear characteristics. However a standardized simulation framework for such networks is lacking. Here, we introduce the open-source python library FONS (Fluidic object-oriented network simulator), a tool for simulating fluidic interactions in lumped fluidic networks of arbitrary size. It is compatible with both gaseous and liquid fluids and supports analytical, simulated and measured characteristics for all components. These components can be defined using a library of standard components or can be implemented as custom objects following a modular object-oriented framework. We show that FONS is capable of simulating a multitude of systems with highly non-linear components exhibiting morphological control.
{"title":"FONS: a Python framework for simulating nonlinear inflatable actuator networks","authors":"Arne Baeyens, B. V. Raemdonck, E. Milana, D. Reynaerts, B. Gorissen","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122049","url":null,"abstract":"Soft robots designed within a conventional robotic framework typically consist of individually addressable compliant actuators that are merged together into a deformable body. For inflatable soft robots, this comes at a high cost of tethering which drastically limits their autonomy and versatility. This cost can be decreased by connecting multiple actuators in a fluidic network and partially offloading control to the passive interactions within the network. This type of morphological control necessitates some of the elements in the network to have nonlinear characteristics. However a standardized simulation framework for such networks is lacking. Here, we introduce the open-source python library FONS (Fluidic object-oriented network simulator), a tool for simulating fluidic interactions in lumped fluidic networks of arbitrary size. It is compatible with both gaseous and liquid fluids and supports analytical, simulated and measured characteristics for all components. These components can be defined using a library of standard components or can be implemented as custom objects following a modular object-oriented framework. We show that FONS is capable of simulating a multitude of systems with highly non-linear components exhibiting morphological control.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130570414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122104
Francesco Fuentes, Laura H. Blumenschein
Deployable and reconfigurable structures use shape-changing designs to transform between different forms and create usable structures, often from small initial packages. While these structures create reliable transformations, the exact shapes must be defined at design and manufacturing time. However, many applications in unstructured environments would benefit from deployable structures that can adjust to the circumstances of the application on demand. To address this need for autonomous behavior, we propose deployable robotic structures, combining soft shape-changing robots with passive and permanent stiffening. The specific implementation in this paper uses chemical curing capable of creating stiffness change at arbitrary locations along a soft growing robot without impeding the function of the robot or requiring a continuous supply of energy to maintain its rigidity. In structural testing, the application of this method is able to drastically increase load resistances axially by an average of 64 N and transversely by an average of 2.18 Nm. Finally, two demonstrations are performed, which show how this combination of soft growing robot and permanent stiffening can increase the structure's carrying capacity and expand the robot's navigational capabilities, showing the potential of deployable robotic structures.
{"title":"Deployable Robotic Structures via Passive Rigidity on A Soft, Growing Robot","authors":"Francesco Fuentes, Laura H. Blumenschein","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122104","url":null,"abstract":"Deployable and reconfigurable structures use shape-changing designs to transform between different forms and create usable structures, often from small initial packages. While these structures create reliable transformations, the exact shapes must be defined at design and manufacturing time. However, many applications in unstructured environments would benefit from deployable structures that can adjust to the circumstances of the application on demand. To address this need for autonomous behavior, we propose deployable robotic structures, combining soft shape-changing robots with passive and permanent stiffening. The specific implementation in this paper uses chemical curing capable of creating stiffness change at arbitrary locations along a soft growing robot without impeding the function of the robot or requiring a continuous supply of energy to maintain its rigidity. In structural testing, the application of this method is able to drastically increase load resistances axially by an average of 64 N and transversely by an average of 2.18 Nm. Finally, two demonstrations are performed, which show how this combination of soft growing robot and permanent stiffening can increase the structure's carrying capacity and expand the robot's navigational capabilities, showing the potential of deployable robotic structures.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129770681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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