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Customizing a self-healing soft pump for robot.

Wei Tang¹, Chao Zhang², Yiding Zhong¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Nature Communications

|April 15, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed novel soft electronic pumps powered by electrical energy for untethered soft robots. These pumps offer a universal power source solution, combining portability, actuation, and self-healing capabilities for advanced robotics.

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Fluid Dynamics

Background:

Soft robotics requires advanced power sources for untethered applications, balancing actuation, speed, portability, and reliability.
Current power sources face challenges in meeting the demands of safe human-machine interaction and adaptive motions in soft robots.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a novel class of fully soft electronic pumps for untethered soft robotic applications.
To develop functional liquids with electrically actuated and self-healing properties for fluid power systems.
To demonstrate the potential of these soft pumps as universal power sources in diverse soft robots.

Main Methods:

Utilizing an electrons and ions migration mechanism for electrical energy to liquid pumping.
Developing specialized functional liquids with combined electrical actuation and self-healing properties.
Integrating soft pumps with a miniature high-voltage power converter for untethered robotic systems.

Main Results:

Soft electronic pumps demonstrate good portability and excellent actuation performance.
Functional liquids exhibit both electrical actuation and self-healing capabilities, paving the way for self-healing fluid power systems.
Customizable pump appearances and pumpabilities cater to diverse robotic needs.
Successful untethered motion of a robotic fish and vehicle powered by the developed soft pumps.

Conclusions:

Soft electronic pumps represent a significant advancement in untethered soft robotics power sources.
The developed functional liquids offer a new paradigm for self-healing fluid power systems.
These soft pumps show broad potential as universal power solutions for a wide range of soft robots.