Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121924
Atoosa Parsa, M. Goyal, Maggy Lambo, Bilige Yang, J. Bongard, Rebecca Kramer‐Bottiglio
Thin, planar sheets can be programmed to morph into complex shapes through stretching and out-of-plane bending, with applicability to shape-shifting soft robots. One way to make a morphing sheet is to use variable stiffness fibers that can modulate their tensile stiffness attached to the surface of a volumetrically expanding sheet. Adjusting local stiffnesses via tensile fiber jamming during sheet expansion allows control of the local shape tensor. However, finding the fiber placements and jamming policies to achieve a set of desired shapes is a non-trivial inverse design problem. We present an additive inverse design framework using an evolutionary algorithm to find optimal jamming fiber patterns to match multiple target shapes. We demonstrate the utility of our optimization pipeline with two input curvature pairs: 1) cylinder and sphere curvatures and 2) simple saddle and monkey saddle curvatures. Our method is able to find a diverse set of sufficient solutions in both cases. By incorporating hardware constraints into our optimization pipeline, we further explore the transfer of evolved solutions from simulation to reality.
{"title":"Evolving variable stiffness fiber patterns for multi-shape robotic sheets","authors":"Atoosa Parsa, M. Goyal, Maggy Lambo, Bilige Yang, J. Bongard, Rebecca Kramer‐Bottiglio","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121924","url":null,"abstract":"Thin, planar sheets can be programmed to morph into complex shapes through stretching and out-of-plane bending, with applicability to shape-shifting soft robots. One way to make a morphing sheet is to use variable stiffness fibers that can modulate their tensile stiffness attached to the surface of a volumetrically expanding sheet. Adjusting local stiffnesses via tensile fiber jamming during sheet expansion allows control of the local shape tensor. However, finding the fiber placements and jamming policies to achieve a set of desired shapes is a non-trivial inverse design problem. We present an additive inverse design framework using an evolutionary algorithm to find optimal jamming fiber patterns to match multiple target shapes. We demonstrate the utility of our optimization pipeline with two input curvature pairs: 1) cylinder and sphere curvatures and 2) simple saddle and monkey saddle curvatures. Our method is able to find a diverse set of sufficient solutions in both cases. By incorporating hardware constraints into our optimization pipeline, we further explore the transfer of evolved solutions from simulation to reality.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"74 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":"125412818","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122038
J. C. Osorio, Chelsea Tinsley, Kendal Tinsley, A. F. Arrieta
Manta rays are unique animals that exhibit complex motion behavior, given their rigid bodies and flexible fins. During turning maneuvers, these animals can hold their fins in asymmetric positions while flapping to achieve a smaller turning radius and faster-turning speed. This collective behavior can be challenging to attain using conventional soft robots or actuators. Local bistability can be leveraged to mimic this behavior by inducing spatially distributed prestress in thin, fin-like surfaces that reshape into 3D, stable configurations without the need of continuous actuation. We present a pneumatically actuated manta ray-inspired soft robot concept with multiple stable states which approximate the ray's asymmetric strokes and stroke frequency. The fins are actuated by an array of inflatable bistable and metastable dome-shaped units that allow us to independently deflect sections of the fin to achieve a desired po-sition. We tune our robot's geometry by performing a numerical parameter sweep over different geometrical configurations of the patterned dome structure. Our approach offers a new route for imposing various target 3D deflected positions of morphing surfaces with minimal actuation or feedback control by utilizing multistability.
{"title":"Manta Ray inspired multistable soft robot","authors":"J. C. Osorio, Chelsea Tinsley, Kendal Tinsley, A. F. Arrieta","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122038","url":null,"abstract":"Manta rays are unique animals that exhibit complex motion behavior, given their rigid bodies and flexible fins. During turning maneuvers, these animals can hold their fins in asymmetric positions while flapping to achieve a smaller turning radius and faster-turning speed. This collective behavior can be challenging to attain using conventional soft robots or actuators. Local bistability can be leveraged to mimic this behavior by inducing spatially distributed prestress in thin, fin-like surfaces that reshape into 3D, stable configurations without the need of continuous actuation. We present a pneumatically actuated manta ray-inspired soft robot concept with multiple stable states which approximate the ray's asymmetric strokes and stroke frequency. The fins are actuated by an array of inflatable bistable and metastable dome-shaped units that allow us to independently deflect sections of the fin to achieve a desired po-sition. We tune our robot's geometry by performing a numerical parameter sweep over different geometrical configurations of the patterned dome structure. Our approach offers a new route for imposing various target 3D deflected positions of morphing surfaces with minimal actuation or feedback control by utilizing multistability.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"48 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":"123683928","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121935
Yilun Sun, T. C. Lueth
Compliant joints are widely used in the structural design of 3D-printed continuum robots as their monolithic structure can greatly simplify the assembly process. However, some highly flexible compliant joints, such as the leaf-spring joints, still suffer from unstable rotation centers when interfered by external forces, which greatly reduces the motion stability of the constructed continuum robots. To cope with this problem, we propose a topology-optimization-based method in this paper to achieve efficient structural design of the complaint joints in continuum robots. With our method, the rotation stability of compliant joints can be improved without causing stress concentration problems. Experiments were also carried out to evaluate the bending performance of the 3D-printed continuum robots equipped with optimized compliant joints. Results demonstrated that, compared to continuum robots with the conventional leaf-spring joints, the optimized robots showed much less twisting deformation caused by out-of-plane loads, which exhibited the high rotation stability of the optimized joints. In future work, the proposed method can be further developed to achieve optimization of other mechanical properties of the compliant joints in continuum robots.
{"title":"Design of 3D-Printed Continuum Robots Using Topology Optimized Compliant Joints","authors":"Yilun Sun, T. C. Lueth","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121935","url":null,"abstract":"Compliant joints are widely used in the structural design of 3D-printed continuum robots as their monolithic structure can greatly simplify the assembly process. However, some highly flexible compliant joints, such as the leaf-spring joints, still suffer from unstable rotation centers when interfered by external forces, which greatly reduces the motion stability of the constructed continuum robots. To cope with this problem, we propose a topology-optimization-based method in this paper to achieve efficient structural design of the complaint joints in continuum robots. With our method, the rotation stability of compliant joints can be improved without causing stress concentration problems. Experiments were also carried out to evaluate the bending performance of the 3D-printed continuum robots equipped with optimized compliant joints. Results demonstrated that, compared to continuum robots with the conventional leaf-spring joints, the optimized robots showed much less twisting deformation caused by out-of-plane loads, which exhibited the high rotation stability of the optimized joints. In future work, the proposed method can be further developed to achieve optimization of other mechanical properties of the compliant joints in continuum robots.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"5 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":"114429242","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121962
Oliver Shorthose, A. Albini, Luca Scimeca, Liang He, P. Maiolino
The use of tactile sensing exhibits benefits over visual detection as it can be deployed in occluded environments and can provide deeper information about an object's material properties. Soft hands have increasingly been used for tactile object identification, providing a high degree of adaptability without requiring complex control schemes. In this work, we propose a framework for identifying a range of objects in any pose by exploiting the compliance of a soft hand equipped with distributed tactile sensing. We propose EDAMS, an Encoder-Decoder Architecture for Multi-grasp Soft sensing and an ad-hoc data structure capable of encoding information on multiple grasps, while decoupling the dependency on the pose order. We train the model to map the high-dimensional multi-grasp tactile sensor data into a lower-dimensional latent space capable of achieving the geometrical separation of each object class, and enabling accurate object classification. We provide an empirical analysis of the benefit of multi-grasp perception for object identification, and show its impact on the separation of the objects in sensor space. Notably, we find the classification accuracy to change widely across the number of grasps, ranging from 47.0% for a single grasp, to 99.9% for 10 grasps.
{"title":"EDAMS: An Encoder-Decoder Architecture for Multi-grasp Soft Sensing Object Recognition","authors":"Oliver Shorthose, A. Albini, Luca Scimeca, Liang He, P. Maiolino","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121962","url":null,"abstract":"The use of tactile sensing exhibits benefits over visual detection as it can be deployed in occluded environments and can provide deeper information about an object's material properties. Soft hands have increasingly been used for tactile object identification, providing a high degree of adaptability without requiring complex control schemes. In this work, we propose a framework for identifying a range of objects in any pose by exploiting the compliance of a soft hand equipped with distributed tactile sensing. We propose EDAMS, an Encoder-Decoder Architecture for Multi-grasp Soft sensing and an ad-hoc data structure capable of encoding information on multiple grasps, while decoupling the dependency on the pose order. We train the model to map the high-dimensional multi-grasp tactile sensor data into a lower-dimensional latent space capable of achieving the geometrical separation of each object class, and enabling accurate object classification. We provide an empirical analysis of the benefit of multi-grasp perception for object identification, and show its impact on the separation of the objects in sensor space. Notably, we find the classification accuracy to change widely across the number of grasps, ranging from 47.0% for a single grasp, to 99.9% for 10 grasps.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"14 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":"121484866","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122110
Tianqi Yue, A. Keller, Daniel Gosden, H. Bloomfield-Gadêlha, J. Rossiter
Suction is a nature-inspired adhesion strategy which has been successfully applied in industry for decades. Their high adhesive force and energy efficiency make suckers light weight and low cost. However, the requirement for compact grippers conflicts with the bulky and heavy vacuum pumps used in existing suckers. This work proposes a novel hydrogel-actuated soft sucker inspired by the octopus sucker to realise compact, compliant and adaptive suction which needs no external vacuum supply. The sucker is actuated through volume change within a double-network, thermo-sensitive hydrogel. When the hydrogel is heated, its molecular structure collapses, generating a suction force and simultaneously secreting water around the sucker rim to strengthen the suction. When the hy-drogel is cooled, it reabsorbs water, recovering its initial shape and eliminating the suction force. On a dry on-land surface, the proposed sucker is capable of adhering to rough surfaces by utilizing water secretion, similar to the mucus secretion of octopus suckers. Underwater, the sucker further exhibits reversible attachment and detachment capability. Simulation results and experimental results demonstrate the practicality of this suction strategy. By applying a current of 0.3 A to generate joule heat, pressure differentials of -4.54 kPa and -4.02 kPa with respect to atmospheric pressure can be generated underwater and on land, respectively. We believe this hydrogel-actuated soft sucker is a significant new technology for next-generation safe, compliant and compact robotic suckers.
{"title":"Hydrogel-actuated Soft Sucker with Mucus Secretion","authors":"Tianqi Yue, A. Keller, Daniel Gosden, H. Bloomfield-Gadêlha, J. Rossiter","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122110","url":null,"abstract":"Suction is a nature-inspired adhesion strategy which has been successfully applied in industry for decades. Their high adhesive force and energy efficiency make suckers light weight and low cost. However, the requirement for compact grippers conflicts with the bulky and heavy vacuum pumps used in existing suckers. This work proposes a novel hydrogel-actuated soft sucker inspired by the octopus sucker to realise compact, compliant and adaptive suction which needs no external vacuum supply. The sucker is actuated through volume change within a double-network, thermo-sensitive hydrogel. When the hydrogel is heated, its molecular structure collapses, generating a suction force and simultaneously secreting water around the sucker rim to strengthen the suction. When the hy-drogel is cooled, it reabsorbs water, recovering its initial shape and eliminating the suction force. On a dry on-land surface, the proposed sucker is capable of adhering to rough surfaces by utilizing water secretion, similar to the mucus secretion of octopus suckers. Underwater, the sucker further exhibits reversible attachment and detachment capability. Simulation results and experimental results demonstrate the practicality of this suction strategy. By applying a current of 0.3 A to generate joule heat, pressure differentials of -4.54 kPa and -4.02 kPa with respect to atmospheric pressure can be generated underwater and on land, respectively. We believe this hydrogel-actuated soft sucker is a significant new technology for next-generation safe, compliant and compact robotic suckers.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"17 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":"121803584","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122087
J. G. Williamson, Joshua A. Schultz
Optical waveguide deformation sensors are created for less than 15 US Dollars each and evaluated for their usefulness in detecting the severity of wrinkles in a thin-walled soft robot. This severity is quantified by the bend angle produced in the robot. The sensors are integrated into the skin of the robot and tests are performed to determine their usefulness. The sensors prove to be able to accurately track the bend angle of the robotic arm as a wrinkle is induced in a sudden load drop test, a sudden pressure loss test, an incremented load test, and an incremented pressure test. The drop test, specifically, tracked bend angle through many rapid undulations.
{"title":"Stretchable Optical Waveguide Sensor Suitability for Wrinkle Degree Detection in Soft Robots","authors":"J. G. Williamson, Joshua A. Schultz","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122087","url":null,"abstract":"Optical waveguide deformation sensors are created for less than 15 US Dollars each and evaluated for their usefulness in detecting the severity of wrinkles in a thin-walled soft robot. This severity is quantified by the bend angle produced in the robot. The sensors are integrated into the skin of the robot and tests are performed to determine their usefulness. The sensors prove to be able to accurately track the bend angle of the robotic arm as a wrinkle is induced in a sudden load drop test, a sudden pressure loss test, an incremented load test, and an incremented pressure test. The drop test, specifically, tracked bend angle through many rapid undulations.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"33 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":"116797669","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121988
Carlo Alessi, H. Hauser, A. Lucantonio, E. Falotico
Recently, learning-based controllers that leverage mechanical models of soft robots have shown promising results. This paper presents a closed-loop controller for dynamic trajectory tracking with a pneumatic soft robotic arm learned via Deep Reinforcement Learning using Proximal Policy Optimization. The control policy was trained in simulation leveraging a dynamic Cosserat rod model of the soft robot. The generalization capabilities of learned controllers are vital for successful deployment in the real world, especially when the encountered scenarios differ from the training environment. We assessed the generalization capabilities of the controller in silico for four tests. The first test involved the dynamic tracking of trajectories that differ significantly in shape and velocity profiles from the training data. Second, we evaluated the robustness of the controller to perpetual external end-point forces for dynamic tracking. For tracking tasks, it was also assessed the generalization to similar materials. Finally, we transferred the control policy without retraining to intercept a moving object with the end-effector. The learned control policy has shown good generalization capabilities in all four tests.
{"title":"Learning a Controller for Soft Robotic Arms and Testing its Generalization to New Observations, Dynamics, and Tasks","authors":"Carlo Alessi, H. Hauser, A. Lucantonio, E. Falotico","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121988","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121988","url":null,"abstract":"Recently, learning-based controllers that leverage mechanical models of soft robots have shown promising results. This paper presents a closed-loop controller for dynamic trajectory tracking with a pneumatic soft robotic arm learned via Deep Reinforcement Learning using Proximal Policy Optimization. The control policy was trained in simulation leveraging a dynamic Cosserat rod model of the soft robot. The generalization capabilities of learned controllers are vital for successful deployment in the real world, especially when the encountered scenarios differ from the training environment. We assessed the generalization capabilities of the controller in silico for four tests. The first test involved the dynamic tracking of trajectories that differ significantly in shape and velocity profiles from the training data. Second, we evaluated the robustness of the controller to perpetual external end-point forces for dynamic tracking. For tracking tasks, it was also assessed the generalization to similar materials. Finally, we transferred the control policy without retraining to intercept a moving object with the end-effector. The learned control policy has shown good generalization capabilities in all four tests.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"115 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":"117274825","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122021
K. Eken, N. Gravish, M. Tolley
Exploration in environments that are too hazardous or inaccessible to humans is one of the most promising uses of robotics. In particular, natural environments that contain granular media present a variety of challenges for the design and control of robots. Recently, everting vine robots have been demonstrated that can navigate many different environments, including digging in sand. However, everting vine robots typically rely on a tether which limits their ability to explore. Here we present an untethered, continuously everting soft robot for exploration in granular media. We test the ability of this design to reduce the drag on the robot while moving through granular media. We then investigate design features to improve the ability of the robot to generate thrust in granular media, and validate them experimentally. Finally, We test our robot's ability to locomote and dig.
{"title":"Continuous Skin Eversion Enables an Untethered Soft Robot to Burrow in Granular Media","authors":"K. Eken, N. Gravish, M. Tolley","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122021","url":null,"abstract":"Exploration in environments that are too hazardous or inaccessible to humans is one of the most promising uses of robotics. In particular, natural environments that contain granular media present a variety of challenges for the design and control of robots. Recently, everting vine robots have been demonstrated that can navigate many different environments, including digging in sand. However, everting vine robots typically rely on a tether which limits their ability to explore. Here we present an untethered, continuously everting soft robot for exploration in granular media. We test the ability of this design to reduce the drag on the robot while moving through granular media. We then investigate design features to improve the ability of the robot to generate thrust in granular media, and validate them experimentally. Finally, We test our robot's ability to locomote and dig.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"128 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":"115169199","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122001
Isabella Fiorello, A. Mondini, B. Mazzolai
Here, we report a microfabricated untethered lightweight mobile climbing machine with plant-like micropatterned adhesive wheels for complex and unstructured three-dimensional (3D) surfaces. By taking inspiration from the ratchet-like climbing mechanism of the hook climber Galium aparine, we first designed a custom-made machine using two millimeter-scale wheels with bioinspired directional microhooks for mechanical interlocking. Secondly, we fully microfabricated the machine via two-photon lithography, a high-resolution 3D additive manufacturing technique. Then, we characterized the shear forces of the microhooks over natural complex surfaces, like plant leaves. Finally, we demonstrated the climbing behavior of the machine over an inclined slope covered by leaf tissues, as well as its ability to carry a payload. Our research shows potential for prototyping sustainable climbing plant-like small-scale machines for exploration and inspection of unstructured and/o $r$ confined terrains, which paves the way for future applications in environmental monitoring and ecosystem conservation.
{"title":"Climbing mini-machines using plant-inspired micropatterned adhesive wheels fabricated via two-photon lithography","authors":"Isabella Fiorello, A. Mondini, B. Mazzolai","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122001","url":null,"abstract":"Here, we report a microfabricated untethered lightweight mobile climbing machine with plant-like micropatterned adhesive wheels for complex and unstructured three-dimensional (3D) surfaces. By taking inspiration from the ratchet-like climbing mechanism of the hook climber Galium aparine, we first designed a custom-made machine using two millimeter-scale wheels with bioinspired directional microhooks for mechanical interlocking. Secondly, we fully microfabricated the machine via two-photon lithography, a high-resolution 3D additive manufacturing technique. Then, we characterized the shear forces of the microhooks over natural complex surfaces, like plant leaves. Finally, we demonstrated the climbing behavior of the machine over an inclined slope covered by leaf tissues, as well as its ability to carry a payload. Our research shows potential for prototyping sustainable climbing plant-like small-scale machines for exploration and inspection of unstructured and/o $r$ confined terrains, which paves the way for future applications in environmental monitoring and ecosystem conservation.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"39 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":"122830979","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122081
Paul Chaillou, Jialei Shi, A. Kruszewski, Isabelle Fournier, H. Wurdemann, C. Duriez
The introduction of soft robots has led to the development of inherently safe and flexible interventional tools for medical applications, when compared to their traditionally rigid counterparts. In particular, robot-assisted surgery is one of the medical applications that benefits from the inherent properties of soft instruments. However, robust control and reliable manipulation of soft tools remain challenging. In this paper, we present a new method based on reduced finite element method model and closed-loop inverse kinematics control for a fiber-reinforced soft robot. The highly flexible, pneumatically driven soft robot has three fully fiber-reinforced chamber pairs. The outer diameter is 11.5 mm. An inner working channel of 4.5 mm provides a free lumen for in-vivo cancer imaging tools during minimally invasive interventions. Here, the manipulator is designed in order to retrieve a tissue biopsy which can then be investigated for cancerous tissue. Simulation and experimental results are compared to validate the model and control methods, using one-module and two-module robots. The results show a real-time control is achievable using the reduced model. Combing the closed-loop control, the median position tracking errors are generally less than 2 mm.
{"title":"Reduced finite element modelling and closed-loop control of pneumatic-driven soft continuum robots","authors":"Paul Chaillou, Jialei Shi, A. Kruszewski, Isabelle Fournier, H. Wurdemann, C. Duriez","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122081","url":null,"abstract":"The introduction of soft robots has led to the development of inherently safe and flexible interventional tools for medical applications, when compared to their traditionally rigid counterparts. In particular, robot-assisted surgery is one of the medical applications that benefits from the inherent properties of soft instruments. However, robust control and reliable manipulation of soft tools remain challenging. In this paper, we present a new method based on reduced finite element method model and closed-loop inverse kinematics control for a fiber-reinforced soft robot. The highly flexible, pneumatically driven soft robot has three fully fiber-reinforced chamber pairs. The outer diameter is 11.5 mm. An inner working channel of 4.5 mm provides a free lumen for in-vivo cancer imaging tools during minimally invasive interventions. Here, the manipulator is designed in order to retrieve a tissue biopsy which can then be investigated for cancerous tissue. Simulation and experimental results are compared to validate the model and control methods, using one-module and two-module robots. The results show a real-time control is achievable using the reduced model. Combing the closed-loop control, the median position tracking errors are generally less than 2 mm.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"25 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":"124917085","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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