Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121950
Tetsushi Nonaka, Arsen Abdulali, Chapa Sirithunge, Kieran Gilday, F. Iida
The softness perception of objects with lower stiffness than that of robotic skin is challenging, as the proportion of the deformation of skin to that of an object's surface is unknown. This makes it difficult to derive the indentation depth typically used for stiffness estimation. To overcome this challenge, we implemented human-inspired softness sensing in a soft anthropomorphic finger based on tactile information alone without using the information about indentation depth or displacement. In the experiments where LSTM networks were trained to discriminate viscoelastic soft objects, we demonstrated that the sensorized robotic finger using tactile information from barometric sensors embedded in its soft skin could successfully learn to discriminate soft objects. By dissociating the relative contribution of the dynamic pattern of pressure distribution and that of local pressure, we further investigated how differences in available tactile information could impact the ability to distinguish the softness of viscoelastic objects. The results demonstrated that the pressure distribution and its change on the soft contact area of the robotic finger provided information to discriminate the softness of viscoelastic objects and that the tactile information about softness was spatiotemporal in nature. The results further implied that nonlinear local dynamics such as hysteresis in local pressure changes can provide additional information about the viscoelasticity of touched objects.
{"title":"Soft robotic tactile perception of softer objects based on learning of spatiotemporal pressure patterns","authors":"Tetsushi Nonaka, Arsen Abdulali, Chapa Sirithunge, Kieran Gilday, F. Iida","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121950","url":null,"abstract":"The softness perception of objects with lower stiffness than that of robotic skin is challenging, as the proportion of the deformation of skin to that of an object's surface is unknown. This makes it difficult to derive the indentation depth typically used for stiffness estimation. To overcome this challenge, we implemented human-inspired softness sensing in a soft anthropomorphic finger based on tactile information alone without using the information about indentation depth or displacement. In the experiments where LSTM networks were trained to discriminate viscoelastic soft objects, we demonstrated that the sensorized robotic finger using tactile information from barometric sensors embedded in its soft skin could successfully learn to discriminate soft objects. By dissociating the relative contribution of the dynamic pattern of pressure distribution and that of local pressure, we further investigated how differences in available tactile information could impact the ability to distinguish the softness of viscoelastic objects. The results demonstrated that the pressure distribution and its change on the soft contact area of the robotic finger provided information to discriminate the softness of viscoelastic objects and that the tactile information about softness was spatiotemporal in nature. The results further implied that nonlinear local dynamics such as hysteresis in local pressure changes can provide additional information about the viscoelasticity of touched objects.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"520 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":"116262579","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122100
Manuela Heinrich, Fabian Wiesemüller, Xavier Aeby, Y. F. Kaya, Deeptanshu Sivaraman, Pham Nguyen, Sukho Song, Gustav Nyström, Mirko Kovač
Autonomous sensor deployment in unstructured natural forests utilizing aerial vehicles is a promising alternative to manual sensor placement by humans, yet retrieval of deployed sensors still remains a challenge. A biodegradable deployment system is therefore crucial to avoid any harmful e-waste in the target environment. However, challenges arise in the choice of materials, design and manufacturing methods to develop such transient, lightweight grippers with an appropriate response time, high deformation, and versatility for diverse shapes of tree branches for sensor deployment. In this work, we propose a hygroscopically actuated, lightweight and biodegradable gripper as a practical solution for the above challenge. Our gripper utilizes dehydration of a bio-polymer to achieve sufficient deformation requiring up to 3 W to coil around a tree branch with multiple turns. The design achieves a gripping force of up to 1.3 N, which is sufficient to deploy lightweight environmental sensors on a tree. The gripper can also exhibit fast actuation capability to complete a coiling turn in less than 120 s, which enables a typical aerial vehicle to deploy tens of sensors in a single charging cycle. Furthermore, this work presents a proof-of-concept of the proposed hygroscopic gripper demonstrating the potential of aerial sensor deployment for future forest monitoring tasks. Such systems could be used to collect data with high spatial and temporal resolution while ensuring low pollution of the environment.
{"title":"Hygroscopically-driven transient actuator for environmental sensor deployment","authors":"Manuela Heinrich, Fabian Wiesemüller, Xavier Aeby, Y. F. Kaya, Deeptanshu Sivaraman, Pham Nguyen, Sukho Song, Gustav Nyström, Mirko Kovač","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122100","url":null,"abstract":"Autonomous sensor deployment in unstructured natural forests utilizing aerial vehicles is a promising alternative to manual sensor placement by humans, yet retrieval of deployed sensors still remains a challenge. A biodegradable deployment system is therefore crucial to avoid any harmful e-waste in the target environment. However, challenges arise in the choice of materials, design and manufacturing methods to develop such transient, lightweight grippers with an appropriate response time, high deformation, and versatility for diverse shapes of tree branches for sensor deployment. In this work, we propose a hygroscopically actuated, lightweight and biodegradable gripper as a practical solution for the above challenge. Our gripper utilizes dehydration of a bio-polymer to achieve sufficient deformation requiring up to 3 W to coil around a tree branch with multiple turns. The design achieves a gripping force of up to 1.3 N, which is sufficient to deploy lightweight environmental sensors on a tree. The gripper can also exhibit fast actuation capability to complete a coiling turn in less than 120 s, which enables a typical aerial vehicle to deploy tens of sensors in a single charging cycle. Furthermore, this work presents a proof-of-concept of the proposed hygroscopic gripper demonstrating the potential of aerial sensor deployment for future forest monitoring tasks. Such systems could be used to collect data with high spatial and temporal resolution while ensuring low pollution of the environment.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"263 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":"116610483","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122088
Allison Raines, Andrew Lewis, Joel Hwee, B. Hannaford
Acoustic signals can be used to detect environmental interactions of everting tube robots. This experiment distinguishes differences in pressure and audio signals in tubes freely everting through different-sized tunnels, with acoustic signal measurement ranging from 0–10 kHz. Pressure rises when transitioning to smaller tunnels and drops when transitioning to larger tunnels. Audio becomes louder when transitioning to larger tunnels and quieter when transitioning to smaller tunnels. Audio FFTs and spectrograms also show distinguishable eversion sounds and clear evidence of tunnel transitions. Time data suggests that reliable time series models could be created to detect tunnel transitions. Frequency data also suggests that a reliable image-analysis model could be created to detect tunnel transitions.
{"title":"Inferring Environmental Interactions of Soft Everting Robots From Acoustic Signals","authors":"Allison Raines, Andrew Lewis, Joel Hwee, B. Hannaford","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122088","url":null,"abstract":"Acoustic signals can be used to detect environmental interactions of everting tube robots. This experiment distinguishes differences in pressure and audio signals in tubes freely everting through different-sized tunnels, with acoustic signal measurement ranging from 0–10 kHz. Pressure rises when transitioning to smaller tunnels and drops when transitioning to larger tunnels. Audio becomes louder when transitioning to larger tunnels and quieter when transitioning to smaller tunnels. Audio FFTs and spectrograms also show distinguishable eversion sounds and clear evidence of tunnel transitions. Time data suggests that reliable time series models could be created to detect tunnel transitions. Frequency data also suggests that a reliable image-analysis model could be created to detect tunnel transitions.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"72 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":"123277264","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122022
Elias De Smet, B. V. Raemdonck, D. Reynaerts, B. Gorissen
Inflatable actuators are regularly used to induce large complex deformations in soft robotic systems. Their actuation speed is typically low, as it takes time for fluids to be pushed through narrow pressure supply tubes. To overcome this limitation, we take inspiration from nature and create actuators that can suddenly release build up elastic energy, by means of breaking a physical bond. Where in nature these ruptures are irreversible, here we use the reversible adhesion of a suction cup to accomplish the same behavior. First, we show that the released elastic energy originates from an adiabatic transition from the constrained to the free inflation curve of the actuator. Next, we numerically analyse this process and give design considerations for maximizing energy release. Lastly, we build a prototype actuator that displays this type of energy release and demonstrate that it can be used for jumping.
{"title":"Rapid energy release in inflatable soft actuators through reversible bond breaking","authors":"Elias De Smet, B. V. Raemdonck, D. Reynaerts, B. Gorissen","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122022","url":null,"abstract":"Inflatable actuators are regularly used to induce large complex deformations in soft robotic systems. Their actuation speed is typically low, as it takes time for fluids to be pushed through narrow pressure supply tubes. To overcome this limitation, we take inspiration from nature and create actuators that can suddenly release build up elastic energy, by means of breaking a physical bond. Where in nature these ruptures are irreversible, here we use the reversible adhesion of a suction cup to accomplish the same behavior. First, we show that the released elastic energy originates from an adiabatic transition from the constrained to the free inflation curve of the actuator. Next, we numerically analyse this process and give design considerations for maximizing energy release. Lastly, we build a prototype actuator that displays this type of energy release and demonstrate that it can be used for jumping.","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":"122400221","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122095
Ronald H. Heisser, Tharm Sribhibhadh, Steven Adelmund, K. Shimasaki, Nathan S. Usevitch, Amirhossein H. Memar, Amirhossein Amini, Andrew A. Stanley
Pneumatic soft robotic technologies promise to revolutionize automation, medicine, human-computer interaction, and beyond. Yet without a sufficiently lightweight, compact, power-dense gas compressor, these wearable and mobile pneumatic devices cannot surpass tethered laboratory demonstrations. In this article, we introduce a gas compressor that converts the gas and energy release of sodium azide propellant mixtures into pressure-volume work. By integrating high-energy density solid fuels and compressor components into one piston-cylinder apparatus, we reduce system complexity, size, and weight. Our experiments provide initial thermodynamic propellant characterization and single-stroke compressor demonstrations.
{"title":"A Sodium Azide-Powered Free-Piston Gas Compressor for Mobile Pneumatic Systems","authors":"Ronald H. Heisser, Tharm Sribhibhadh, Steven Adelmund, K. Shimasaki, Nathan S. Usevitch, Amirhossein H. Memar, Amirhossein Amini, Andrew A. Stanley","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122095","url":null,"abstract":"Pneumatic soft robotic technologies promise to revolutionize automation, medicine, human-computer interaction, and beyond. Yet without a sufficiently lightweight, compact, power-dense gas compressor, these wearable and mobile pneumatic devices cannot surpass tethered laboratory demonstrations. In this article, we introduce a gas compressor that converts the gas and energy release of sodium azide propellant mixtures into pressure-volume work. By integrating high-energy density solid fuels and compressor components into one piston-cylinder apparatus, we reduce system complexity, size, and weight. Our experiments provide initial thermodynamic propellant characterization and single-stroke compressor demonstrations.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"54 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":"128310103","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122028
S. Gollob, E. Roche
Untethered soft robots have great potential in applications ranging from search-and-rescue to human-assistive robotics, and the light weight, impact resistance, and innate mechanical intelligence of soft robotics would provide untethered soft robots with unique capabilities compared to traditional robotics. Despite their great potential, most soft robots are still tethered to their power sources and the few existing untethered platforms suffer from either slow motions (for pump-based systems) or short lifetimes and a lack of controllability (for propellant-based systems). In this work, we introduce the concept of a pump-controlled propellant-powered (PCPP) system in which a pump moves fuel into a reaction chamber, where the produced gasses can pressurize a soft pneumatic system. We present a model to compare the performance of a pneumatic and PCPP system, demonstrating the PCCP system's favorable work savings and actuation speed. We then perform preliminary tests on a prototype system to validate the model, also demonstrating that the platform can inflate a soft actuator. In the future, the PCPP system has the potential to combine the best features of existing pneumatic and propellant systems, allowing for both controlled and fast-moving untethered soft robotic motion.
{"title":"Towards a Pump-Controlled, Propellant-Powered Pneumatic Source for Untethered Soft Robots: Modelling and Experiments","authors":"S. Gollob, E. Roche","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122028","url":null,"abstract":"Untethered soft robots have great potential in applications ranging from search-and-rescue to human-assistive robotics, and the light weight, impact resistance, and innate mechanical intelligence of soft robotics would provide untethered soft robots with unique capabilities compared to traditional robotics. Despite their great potential, most soft robots are still tethered to their power sources and the few existing untethered platforms suffer from either slow motions (for pump-based systems) or short lifetimes and a lack of controllability (for propellant-based systems). In this work, we introduce the concept of a pump-controlled propellant-powered (PCPP) system in which a pump moves fuel into a reaction chamber, where the produced gasses can pressurize a soft pneumatic system. We present a model to compare the performance of a pneumatic and PCPP system, demonstrating the PCCP system's favorable work savings and actuation speed. We then perform preliminary tests on a prototype system to validate the model, also demonstrating that the platform can inflate a soft actuator. In the future, the PCPP system has the potential to combine the best features of existing pneumatic and propellant systems, allowing for both controlled and fast-moving untethered soft robotic motion.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"16 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":"124715748","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121949
Anna Astolfi, M. Calisti
Legged robots are a promising technology whose use is limited by their high energy consumption. Biological and biomechanical studies have shown that the vibration generated by elastically suspended masses provides an energy advantage over rigidly carrying the same load. The robotic validation of these findings has only scarcely been explored in the dynamic walking case. In this context, a relationship has emerged between the design parameters and the actuation that generates the optimal gait. Although very relevant, these studies lack a generalizable analysis of different locomotion modes and a possible strategy to obtain optimal locomotion at different speeds. To this end, we propose the use of articulated legs in an extended Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) model with an elastically suspended mass. Thanks to this model, we show how stiffness and damping can be modulated through articulated legs by selecting the knee angle at touch-down. Therefore, by choosing different body postures, it is possible to vary the control parameters and reach different energetically optimal speeds. At the same time, this modeling allows the study of the stability of the defined system. The results show how suitable control choices reduce energy expenditure by 16% at the limit cycle at a chosen speed. The demonstrated strategy could be used in the design and control of legged robots where energy consumption would be dynamically optimal and usage time would be significantly increased.
{"title":"Articulated legs allow energy optimization across different speeds for legged robots with elastically suspended loads","authors":"Anna Astolfi, M. Calisti","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121949","url":null,"abstract":"Legged robots are a promising technology whose use is limited by their high energy consumption. Biological and biomechanical studies have shown that the vibration generated by elastically suspended masses provides an energy advantage over rigidly carrying the same load. The robotic validation of these findings has only scarcely been explored in the dynamic walking case. In this context, a relationship has emerged between the design parameters and the actuation that generates the optimal gait. Although very relevant, these studies lack a generalizable analysis of different locomotion modes and a possible strategy to obtain optimal locomotion at different speeds. To this end, we propose the use of articulated legs in an extended Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) model with an elastically suspended mass. Thanks to this model, we show how stiffness and damping can be modulated through articulated legs by selecting the knee angle at touch-down. Therefore, by choosing different body postures, it is possible to vary the control parameters and reach different energetically optimal speeds. At the same time, this modeling allows the study of the stability of the defined system. The results show how suitable control choices reduce energy expenditure by 16% at the limit cycle at a chosen speed. The demonstrated strategy could be used in the design and control of legged robots where energy consumption would be dynamically optimal and usage time would be significantly increased.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"55 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":"127175430","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121943
Niccolò Pagliarani, G. Picardi, Syeda Shadab Zehra Zaidi, M. Cianchetti
In soft robotics, variable stiffness is typically employed to solve the trade-off between compliance and the ability to exert high forces. However, modulating the stiffness of a soft actuator can also provide control over its deformation and enhance its adaptability. This latter concept has not been thoroughly investigated in literature and this work aims at demonstrating variable kinematics enabled by the integration of variable stiffness modules into the structure of a soft finger. We have augmented a segmented pneumatic bending actuator with two-layer jamming modules integrated into its proximal and distal sections and proposed an actuation strategy designed through finite element modeling to control its shape in terms of angle of attack and grasping radius. The presented soft finger exhibited a grasping width in the range of about 40 mm to 75 mm while simultaneously keeping the angle of attack around $90^{circ}$. Different activations of the two-layer jamming modules also produced an alteration of the forces exerted by the finger which were characterized in terms of blocking and grasping force for different configurations. The results show an interesting and less explored use of variable stiffness, relevant for the development of adaptive soft grippers and manipulators. Moreover, the proposed concept and control strategy is independent of the actuation technologies used to produce finger bending.
{"title":"Variable Kinematics enabled by Layer Jamming Transition in a Soft Bending Actuator","authors":"Niccolò Pagliarani, G. Picardi, Syeda Shadab Zehra Zaidi, M. Cianchetti","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121943","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121943","url":null,"abstract":"In soft robotics, variable stiffness is typically employed to solve the trade-off between compliance and the ability to exert high forces. However, modulating the stiffness of a soft actuator can also provide control over its deformation and enhance its adaptability. This latter concept has not been thoroughly investigated in literature and this work aims at demonstrating variable kinematics enabled by the integration of variable stiffness modules into the structure of a soft finger. We have augmented a segmented pneumatic bending actuator with two-layer jamming modules integrated into its proximal and distal sections and proposed an actuation strategy designed through finite element modeling to control its shape in terms of angle of attack and grasping radius. The presented soft finger exhibited a grasping width in the range of about 40 mm to 75 mm while simultaneously keeping the angle of attack around $90^{circ}$. Different activations of the two-layer jamming modules also produced an alteration of the forces exerted by the finger which were characterized in terms of blocking and grasping force for different configurations. The results show an interesting and less explored use of variable stiffness, relevant for the development of adaptive soft grippers and manipulators. Moreover, the proposed concept and control strategy is independent of the actuation technologies used to produce finger bending.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"31 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":"128406401","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121917
Yuto Kemmotsu, K. Tadakuma, Kazuki Abe, M. Watanabe, M. Konyo, S. Tadokoro
Pin array grippers with many slidable pins arranged in parallel can adapt to complex object shapes. However, in conventional methods that move the pins only in specific directions, the conditions for successful grasping are limited by the shape, position, and orientation of the target object. In this study, we propose a balloon pin array gripper capable of inflating flexible balloons in the radial direction of each pin. This method makes the soft wrapping of objects possible from multiple directions in a two-step shape adaptation: pin array sliding and balloon expansion. A design method for combining balloons with a pin array, including an air supply system, was devised. Experiments and tests with the prototype demonstrated the validity of the concept.
{"title":"Balloon Pin Array Gripper: Mechanism for Deformable Grasping with Two-Step Shape Adaptation","authors":"Yuto Kemmotsu, K. Tadakuma, Kazuki Abe, M. Watanabe, M. Konyo, S. Tadokoro","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121917","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121917","url":null,"abstract":"Pin array grippers with many slidable pins arranged in parallel can adapt to complex object shapes. However, in conventional methods that move the pins only in specific directions, the conditions for successful grasping are limited by the shape, position, and orientation of the target object. In this study, we propose a balloon pin array gripper capable of inflating flexible balloons in the radial direction of each pin. This method makes the soft wrapping of objects possible from multiple directions in a two-step shape adaptation: pin array sliding and balloon expansion. A design method for combining balloons with a pin array, including an air supply system, was devised. Experiments and tests with the prototype demonstrated the validity of the concept.","PeriodicalId":250981,"journal":{"name":"2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)","volume":"45 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":"128880213","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/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122112
Michael R. Mitchell, Ciera McFarland, Margaret M. Coad
Flexible robots have advantages over rigid robots in their ability to conform physically to their environment and to form a wide variety of shapes. Sensing the force applied by or to flexible robots is useful for both navigation and manipulation tasks, but it is challenging due to the need for the sensors to withstand the robots' shape change without encumbering their functionality. Also, for robots with long or large bodies, the number of sensors required to cover the entire surface area of the robot body can be prohibitive due to high cost and complexity. We present a novel soft air pocket force sensor that is highly flexible, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and easily scalable to various sizes. Our sensor produces a change in internal pressure that is linear with the applied force. We present results of experimental testing of how uncontrollable factors (contact location and contact area) and controllable factors (initial internal pressure, thickness, size, and number of interior seals) affect the sensitivity. We demonstrate our sensor applied to a vine robot-a soft inflatable robot that “grows” from the tip via eversion-and we show that the robot can successfully grow and steer towards an object with which it senses contact.
{"title":"Soft Air Pocket Force Sensors for Large Scale Flexible Robots","authors":"Michael R. Mitchell, Ciera McFarland, Margaret M. Coad","doi":"10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122112","url":null,"abstract":"Flexible robots have advantages over rigid robots in their ability to conform physically to their environment and to form a wide variety of shapes. Sensing the force applied by or to flexible robots is useful for both navigation and manipulation tasks, but it is challenging due to the need for the sensors to withstand the robots' shape change without encumbering their functionality. Also, for robots with long or large bodies, the number of sensors required to cover the entire surface area of the robot body can be prohibitive due to high cost and complexity. We present a novel soft air pocket force sensor that is highly flexible, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and easily scalable to various sizes. Our sensor produces a change in internal pressure that is linear with the applied force. We present results of experimental testing of how uncontrollable factors (contact location and contact area) and controllable factors (initial internal pressure, thickness, size, and number of interior seals) affect the sensitivity. We demonstrate our sensor applied to a vine robot-a soft inflatable robot that “grows” from the tip via eversion-and we show that the robot can successfully grow and steer towards an object with which it senses contact.","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":"132704746","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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