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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Published on: November 8, 2019

Soft Pneumatic Actuator Fascicles for High Force and Reliability.

Matthew A Robertson¹, Hamed Sadeghi¹, Juan Manuel Florez¹

¹Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory (RRL) , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland .

|March 15, 2017

Summary

The novel SPA-pack architecture enhances soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) by arranging smaller units in parallel. This bio-inspired design significantly boosts force output and reliability for advanced soft robotics applications.

Keywords:

artificial muscles biomimetics modular systems soft actuators wearable robots

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Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Biomimetics

Background:

Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) are key in soft robotics but have limitations in force output, bandwidth, robustness, and repeatability.
Existing SPA designs often struggle to meet the demanding performance requirements for complex robotic tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and evaluate the SPA-pack architecture for improving SPA performance.
To enhance reliability, force output, and control of soft actuators.

Main Methods:

An analytical model was developed to study the SPA-pack architecture.
Physical prototypes of SPA-pack modules were constructed and experimentally tested.
The performance of parallel-arranged SPAs was compared to single, volumetrically equivalent SPAs.

Main Results:

SPA-pack modules demonstrated over 112 N of linear force.
A four-actuator SPA-pack module showed a 23% increase in force production compared to a single SPA.
Analytical models predicted further force gains up to 50% with increased actuator grouping.

Conclusions:

The fascicle structure of SPA-pack modules offers significant advantages over monolithic SPA designs for high-performance soft robotics.
This bio-inspired approach effectively addresses limitations in force output and reliability.
SPA-pack modules show promise for integration into complete, functional high-performance soft robotic systems.