Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122107
Willem Heeringa, C. D. Santina, G. Smit
Industrial automation calls for precise tasks with cycle times reduced to the minimum. At the same time, when handling delicate products such as fruits and vegetables, accelerations must be kept low to keep interaction forces under a certain threshold to avoid damage. This trade-off hinders the penetration of automation in many relevant application fields. This paper investigates using soft technology to solve this challenge. We propose the FinFix gripper, a non-anthropomorphic soft gripper capable of handling delicate objects at high acceleration using a contact-reactive grasping approach. This gripper has two entirely passive sensorized fingers that establish contact and two active fingers that are actuated pneumatically through a rigid mechanism allowing for rapid closure. We provide exhaustive experimental validation by connecting the gripper to a delta robot. The system can reliably execute pick-and-place cycles in $sim 1 mathrm{s}$ when the distance between the pick and the place locations is 400 mm, resulting in a peak speed of $sim 10frac{mathrm{m}}{mathrm{s}}$. None of the fragile objects used during the experiments showed any damage. The only information needed is a rough estimation of the object's position to be grasped and a contact event to trigger the reflex. The test results show that the gripper can hold fragile objects during lateral accelerations of 10g.
{"title":"FinFix: A Soft Gripper With Contact-Reactive Reflex for High-Speed Pick and Place of Fragile Objects","authors":"Willem Heeringa, C. D. Santina, G. Smit","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122107","url":null,"abstract":"Industrial automation calls for precise tasks with cycle times reduced to the minimum. At the same time, when handling delicate products such as fruits and vegetables, accelerations must be kept low to keep interaction forces under a certain threshold to avoid damage. This trade-off hinders the penetration of automation in many relevant application fields. This paper investigates using soft technology to solve this challenge. We propose the FinFix gripper, a non-anthropomorphic soft gripper capable of handling delicate objects at high acceleration using a contact-reactive grasping approach. This gripper has two entirely passive sensorized fingers that establish contact and two active fingers that are actuated pneumatically through a rigid mechanism allowing for rapid closure. We provide exhaustive experimental validation by connecting the gripper to a delta robot. The system can reliably execute pick-and-place cycles in $sim 1 mathrm{s}$ when the distance between the pick and the place locations is 400 mm, resulting in a peak speed of $sim 10frac{mathrm{m}}{mathrm{s}}$. None of the fragile objects used during the experiments showed any damage. The only information needed is a rough estimation of the object's position to be grasped and a contact event to trigger the reflex. The test results show that the gripper can hold fragile objects during lateral accelerations of 10g.","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":"128863710","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121959
Ge Shi, A. Shariati, Jialei Shi, N. Herzig, Sara-Adela Abad, H. Wurdemann
One way to achieve large deformations and elongation in soft material robots involves the creation of structures made of a number of inflatable elastic membranes. Physical interactions between the inflated membranes or with their environment can lead to shape changes resulting in forces being exerted to the environment. In this paper, we present an analytical model to describe the inflation of a circular elastic membrane, which is constrained by a load, based on finite deformation theory. Our model will allow to understand the deformation, volume change and the height of the membrane. Our model can predict the height-pressure trend of the deformed membrane shape. Experimental validation includes the investigation of the membrane inflation under load, open-loop force control involving an inflated membrane, and the inflation of a stack of three actuators. The height-pressure model results lay within the experimental data and predict the nonlinear trend well. The model can be used for open-loop force control within a ±15% error. Also, we present the results for a manipulator made of a series of inflated membranes under load conditions.
{"title":"Modelling the inflation of an elastic membrane with a load","authors":"Ge Shi, A. Shariati, Jialei Shi, N. Herzig, Sara-Adela Abad, H. Wurdemann","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121959","url":null,"abstract":"One way to achieve large deformations and elongation in soft material robots involves the creation of structures made of a number of inflatable elastic membranes. Physical interactions between the inflated membranes or with their environment can lead to shape changes resulting in forces being exerted to the environment. In this paper, we present an analytical model to describe the inflation of a circular elastic membrane, which is constrained by a load, based on finite deformation theory. Our model will allow to understand the deformation, volume change and the height of the membrane. Our model can predict the height-pressure trend of the deformed membrane shape. Experimental validation includes the investigation of the membrane inflation under load, open-loop force control involving an inflated membrane, and the inflation of a stack of three actuators. The height-pressure model results lay within the experimental data and predict the nonlinear trend well. The model can be used for open-loop force control within a ±15% error. Also, we present the results for a manipulator made of a series of inflated membranes under load conditions.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"124 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":"124628801","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122039
Shuhang Zhang, Bokeon Kwak, D. Floreano
Edible robotics is an emerging research field with potential use in environmental, food, and medical scenarios. In this context, the design of edible control circuits could increase the behavioral complexity of edible robots and reduce their dependence on inedible components. Here we describe a method to design and manufacture edible control circuits based on microfluidic logic gates. We focus on the choice of materials and fabrication procedure to produce edible logic gates based on recently available soft microfluidic logic. We validate the proposed design with the production of a functional NOT gate and suggest further research avenues for scaling up the method to more complex circuits.
{"title":"Design and manufacture of edible microfluidic logic gates","authors":"Shuhang Zhang, Bokeon Kwak, D. Floreano","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122039","url":null,"abstract":"Edible robotics is an emerging research field with potential use in environmental, food, and medical scenarios. In this context, the design of edible control circuits could increase the behavioral complexity of edible robots and reduce their dependence on inedible components. Here we describe a method to design and manufacture edible control circuits based on microfluidic logic gates. We focus on the choice of materials and fabrication procedure to produce edible logic gates based on recently available soft microfluidic logic. We validate the proposed design with the production of a functional NOT gate and suggest further research avenues for scaling up the method to more complex circuits.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"21 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":"120992199","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121960
Yuchen Zhao, Choo Kean Khaw, Yifan Wang
Soft robotics is applicable to a variety of domains due to the adaptability offered by the soft and compliant materials. To develop future intelligent soft robots, soft sensors that can capture deformations with nearly infinite degrees of freedom are necessary. Soft sensor networks can address this problem, however, measuring all sensor values throughout the body requires excessive wiring and complex fabrication that may hinder robot performance. We circumvent these challenges by developing a non-invasive measurement technique, which is based on an algorithm that solves the inverse problem of resistor network, and implement this algorithm on a soft resistive, strain sensor network. Our algorithm works by iteratively computing the resistor values based on the applied boundary voltage and current responses, and we analyze the reconstruction error of the algorithm as a function of network size and measurement error. We further develop electronics setup to implement our algorithm on a stretchable resistive strain sensor network made of soft conductive silicone, and show the response of the measured network to different deformation modes. Our work opens a new path to addressing the challenge of measuring many sensor values in soft sensors, and could be applied to soft robotic sensor systems.
{"title":"Measuring a Soft Resistive Strain Sensor Array by Solving the Resistor Network Inverse Problem","authors":"Yuchen Zhao, Choo Kean Khaw, Yifan Wang","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121960","url":null,"abstract":"Soft robotics is applicable to a variety of domains due to the adaptability offered by the soft and compliant materials. To develop future intelligent soft robots, soft sensors that can capture deformations with nearly infinite degrees of freedom are necessary. Soft sensor networks can address this problem, however, measuring all sensor values throughout the body requires excessive wiring and complex fabrication that may hinder robot performance. We circumvent these challenges by developing a non-invasive measurement technique, which is based on an algorithm that solves the inverse problem of resistor network, and implement this algorithm on a soft resistive, strain sensor network. Our algorithm works by iteratively computing the resistor values based on the applied boundary voltage and current responses, and we analyze the reconstruction error of the algorithm as a function of network size and measurement error. We further develop electronics setup to implement our algorithm on a stretchable resistive strain sensor network made of soft conductive silicone, and show the response of the measured network to different deformation modes. Our work opens a new path to addressing the challenge of measuring many sensor values in soft sensors, and could be applied to soft robotic sensor systems.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"53 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":"121112554","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122102
Q. Davis, Stephanie J. Woodman, Melanie Landesberg, Rebecca Kramer‐Bottiglio, J. Bongard
Robot adaptation is typically limited to adaptive control policies or actuated morphology changes (such as shape change). When part of a robot body is removed it is typically viewed as an injury that must be adapted to; the potential for adaptation through subtraction by removal of body components has not yet been considered. Biological systems, on the other hand, provide many examples of subtractive adaptation, including gene or nucleotide deletion at the evolutionary scale, apoptosis at the cellular scale, and autotomy (the deliberate loss of an appendage) at the organismal scale. In this work, we consider the adaptive potential of evolved autotomy in simulated soft robots. To do so we jointly evolved the body plans, control policies, and/or which body parts to remove for soft robots. Our results show that autotomy, rather than policy adaptation, sometimes evolved to change the robot's heading when commanded. In most trials, policy adaptation was favored by the evolutionary algorithm over autotomy for changing heading. But the fact that autotomy appeared as a viable solution in some evolving populations, both when starting body plans were evolved or set manually, suggests that this form of morphological adaptation may be useful for future soft robots.
{"title":"Subtract to Adapt: Autotomic Robots","authors":"Q. Davis, Stephanie J. Woodman, Melanie Landesberg, Rebecca Kramer‐Bottiglio, J. Bongard","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122102","url":null,"abstract":"Robot adaptation is typically limited to adaptive control policies or actuated morphology changes (such as shape change). When part of a robot body is removed it is typically viewed as an injury that must be adapted to; the potential for adaptation through subtraction by removal of body components has not yet been considered. Biological systems, on the other hand, provide many examples of subtractive adaptation, including gene or nucleotide deletion at the evolutionary scale, apoptosis at the cellular scale, and autotomy (the deliberate loss of an appendage) at the organismal scale. In this work, we consider the adaptive potential of evolved autotomy in simulated soft robots. To do so we jointly evolved the body plans, control policies, and/or which body parts to remove for soft robots. Our results show that autotomy, rather than policy adaptation, sometimes evolved to change the robot's heading when commanded. In most trials, policy adaptation was favored by the evolutionary algorithm over autotomy for changing heading. But the fact that autotomy appeared as a viable solution in some evolving populations, both when starting body plans were evolved or set manually, suggests that this form of morphological adaptation may be useful for future soft robots.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"154 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":"121396586","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122054
A. Georgopoulou, Stijn Hamelryckx, Kai Junge, L. Eckey, Simon Rogler, Robert K. Katzschmann, Josie Hughes, F. Clemens
When developing or designing biomimetic robotic fingers with rigid and soft components and integrated sensors, fabrication is often a bottle-neck when assembling and casting processing techniques are used. This study introduces a thermoplastic multi-material fabrication approach that allows the printing of fingers with incorporated sensing elements in a single shot. Thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers based materials have been selected to demonstrate the circular fabrication process. To exhibit the potential of the method, a sensorized multi-material finger was fabricated using polypropylene (PP) for the rigid bone, styrene-based tri-block co-polymer (TPS) for the soft skin and resistive composites based on TPS and carbon black (CB) for the sensing. The 3D printer was equipped with combined pellet- and filament-based extruders to enable the combined fabrication processing of the materials without additional assembling. This allowed the exploration of a range of designs with different geometric and infill properties. To demonstrate the circular process, the fabricated fingers were recycled and the mechanical properties did not result in a visible degradation. The described multi-material fabrication of soft robotic components allows time efficiency of the production method and the reusability of the materials, which contribute to establishing a sustainable circular process in the future.
{"title":"A multi-material robotic finger with integrated proprioceptive and tactile capabilities produced with a circular process","authors":"A. Georgopoulou, Stijn Hamelryckx, Kai Junge, L. Eckey, Simon Rogler, Robert K. Katzschmann, Josie Hughes, F. Clemens","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122054","url":null,"abstract":"When developing or designing biomimetic robotic fingers with rigid and soft components and integrated sensors, fabrication is often a bottle-neck when assembling and casting processing techniques are used. This study introduces a thermoplastic multi-material fabrication approach that allows the printing of fingers with incorporated sensing elements in a single shot. Thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers based materials have been selected to demonstrate the circular fabrication process. To exhibit the potential of the method, a sensorized multi-material finger was fabricated using polypropylene (PP) for the rigid bone, styrene-based tri-block co-polymer (TPS) for the soft skin and resistive composites based on TPS and carbon black (CB) for the sensing. The 3D printer was equipped with combined pellet- and filament-based extruders to enable the combined fabrication processing of the materials without additional assembling. This allowed the exploration of a range of designs with different geometric and infill properties. To demonstrate the circular process, the fabricated fingers were recycled and the mechanical properties did not result in a visible degradation. The described multi-material fabrication of soft robotic components allows time efficiency of the production method and the reusability of the materials, which contribute to establishing a sustainable circular process in the future.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"86 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":"122593707","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122077
Tsam Lung You, J. Rossiter, Hemma Philamore
Twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) actuator is a promising novel actuator, exhibiting attractive properties of light weight, low cost, high energy density and simple fabrication process. However, coiled polymer actuators have low non-resonant actuation frequencies because of the time needed for heat dissipation during the relaxation phase. This restricts them to applications where frequencies are less than 0.5 Hz. In this paper, we present a robotic fish driven by a novel TCP-spring antagonistic pair at high frequencies in water. By minimizing the distance between the TCP and the spring, the robot achieved a maximum swimming velocity of 25.7 mm/s (11.5% body length/s) by undulatory flapping of its caudal fin at a frequency of 2 Hz using periodic Joule heating. This demonstrates the highest frequency and swimming speed achieved for a TCP actuator in a practical aquatic application. The design, fabrication and verification of the fish robot, including characterisation of the TCP actuators in air and water, are presented. A study on different fin stiffness is also presented. This paper provides a new route to raising the actuation frequency of TCPs through thermomechanical design and shows the possibility of using TCPs at high frequency in aqueous environments.
{"title":"Robotic Fish driven by Twisted and Coiled Polymer Actuators at High Frequencies","authors":"Tsam Lung You, J. Rossiter, Hemma Philamore","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122077","url":null,"abstract":"Twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) actuator is a promising novel actuator, exhibiting attractive properties of light weight, low cost, high energy density and simple fabrication process. However, coiled polymer actuators have low non-resonant actuation frequencies because of the time needed for heat dissipation during the relaxation phase. This restricts them to applications where frequencies are less than 0.5 Hz. In this paper, we present a robotic fish driven by a novel TCP-spring antagonistic pair at high frequencies in water. By minimizing the distance between the TCP and the spring, the robot achieved a maximum swimming velocity of 25.7 mm/s (11.5% body length/s) by undulatory flapping of its caudal fin at a frequency of 2 Hz using periodic Joule heating. This demonstrates the highest frequency and swimming speed achieved for a TCP actuator in a practical aquatic application. The design, fabrication and verification of the fish robot, including characterisation of the TCP actuators in air and water, are presented. A study on different fin stiffness is also presented. This paper provides a new route to raising the actuation frequency of TCPs through thermomechanical design and shows the possibility of using TCPs at high frequency in aqueous environments.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"59 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":"128258998","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121998
Faisal Aljaber, Ahmed Hassan, T. Abrar, I. Vitanov, K. Althoefer
Fabric-based soft actuators, grippers and manipulators are gaining in popularity due to their ability to handle large payloads while being lightweight, extremely compliant, low-cost and fully collapsible. Achieving full-pose sensing of fabric fingers without compromising on these advantageous properties, however, remains a challenge. This paper overviews work on soft fabric-based inflatable finger design, actuation and sensorisation carried out at the Centre for Advanced Robotics at Queen Mary (ARQ), University of London. Further experimental analysis has been performed to examine features such as bending control and eversion (growing from the tip) in fabric fingers for grasping applications. In addition, two types of grasp force have been measured for a bi-fingered gripper: envelope grasping and pinch grasping. Beyond force measurement, this paper advances a new concept for the sensorisation of fabric grippers using soft optical waveguide sensors and proposes shape estimation using image processing.
{"title":"Soft Inflatable Fingers: An Overview of Design, Prototyping and Sensorisation for Various Applications","authors":"Faisal Aljaber, Ahmed Hassan, T. Abrar, I. Vitanov, K. Althoefer","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121998","url":null,"abstract":"Fabric-based soft actuators, grippers and manipulators are gaining in popularity due to their ability to handle large payloads while being lightweight, extremely compliant, low-cost and fully collapsible. Achieving full-pose sensing of fabric fingers without compromising on these advantageous properties, however, remains a challenge. This paper overviews work on soft fabric-based inflatable finger design, actuation and sensorisation carried out at the Centre for Advanced Robotics at Queen Mary (ARQ), University of London. Further experimental analysis has been performed to examine features such as bending control and eversion (growing from the tip) in fabric fingers for grasping applications. In addition, two types of grasp force have been measured for a bi-fingered gripper: envelope grasping and pinch grasping. Beyond force measurement, this paper advances a new concept for the sensorisation of fabric grippers using soft optical waveguide sensors and proposes shape estimation using image processing.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"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":"130839578","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122007
Saravana Prashanth Murali Babu, Riddhi Das, B. Mazzolai, A. Rafsanjani
Origami is a practical approach for developing soft robots and deployable structures. If the folding and stiffness are actively adjustable, we can program the motion of the resulting origami structure. Here, we propose an entirely soft inflatable origami actuator with variable stiffness and multimodal deformation. The programmable inflatable origami consists of a prismatic chamber based on the Kresling pattern with miniature fluidic channels at the mountain folds. Applying a vacuum to the central chamber provides the main actuation force, while the selective inflation of the fluidic channels controls the motion and changes the stiffness. We formulated a geometric description for the origami module to optimize the design parameters. Then, we fabricated the origami actuators from elastomeric rubber using a multistep single-material fabrication technique. Finally, we characterized the axial contraction and rotation angle and demonstrated variable stiffness and omnidirectional bending. Our work imbues origami actuators with embodied behavior presenting an integrated versatile soft robotic building block applicable to manipulation and locomotion scenarios.
{"title":"Programmable inflatable origami","authors":"Saravana Prashanth Murali Babu, Riddhi Das, B. Mazzolai, A. Rafsanjani","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122007","url":null,"abstract":"Origami is a practical approach for developing soft robots and deployable structures. If the folding and stiffness are actively adjustable, we can program the motion of the resulting origami structure. Here, we propose an entirely soft inflatable origami actuator with variable stiffness and multimodal deformation. The programmable inflatable origami consists of a prismatic chamber based on the Kresling pattern with miniature fluidic channels at the mountain folds. Applying a vacuum to the central chamber provides the main actuation force, while the selective inflation of the fluidic channels controls the motion and changes the stiffness. We formulated a geometric description for the origami module to optimize the design parameters. Then, we fabricated the origami actuators from elastomeric rubber using a multistep single-material fabrication technique. Finally, we characterized the axial contraction and rotation angle and demonstrated variable stiffness and omnidirectional bending. Our work imbues origami actuators with embodied behavior presenting an integrated versatile soft robotic building block applicable to manipulation and locomotion scenarios.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"23 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":"134086541","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122080
Sasheeka Himaruwan, Chanuka L. Tennakoon, A. Kulasekera
Soft robotics is a novel disruptor that has at-tracted the interest of robotic developers, allowing them to leverage the use of soft materials and compliant mechanisms to interact better with soft objects. This paper presents the development and characterization of a vacuum-driven soft-bending actuator that utilizes an origami skeletal structure. The proposed actuator comprises a skeleton from an origami folded thin polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet and a pouch made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coated polyester fabric. The developed actuator is experimentally evaluated to characterize its bending angle, blocked force, and holding force performance. The actuator has a maximum bending angle of 84°, a maximum lifting force of 7 N, and a maximum tip blocking force of 1.8 N at 40 kPa (abs). The developed soft bending actuator is integrated into a three-finger gripper to evaluate its gripping performance. The developed gripper successfully handled several irregularly shaped daily objects and soft food items. The gripper could withstand a pulling force of up to 18.35 N.
{"title":"Development and Characterization of an Origami-Based Vacuum-Driven Bending Actuator for Soft Gripping","authors":"Sasheeka Himaruwan, Chanuka L. Tennakoon, A. Kulasekera","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122080","url":null,"abstract":"Soft robotics is a novel disruptor that has at-tracted the interest of robotic developers, allowing them to leverage the use of soft materials and compliant mechanisms to interact better with soft objects. This paper presents the development and characterization of a vacuum-driven soft-bending actuator that utilizes an origami skeletal structure. The proposed actuator comprises a skeleton from an origami folded thin polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet and a pouch made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coated polyester fabric. The developed actuator is experimentally evaluated to characterize its bending angle, blocked force, and holding force performance. The actuator has a maximum bending angle of 84°, a maximum lifting force of 7 N, and a maximum tip blocking force of 1.8 N at 40 kPa (abs). The developed soft bending actuator is integrated into a three-finger gripper to evaluate its gripping performance. The developed gripper successfully handled several irregularly shaped daily objects and soft food items. The gripper could withstand a pulling force of up to 18.35 N.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"116 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":"132921342","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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