Pneumatic System Capable of Supplying Programmable Pressure States for Soft Robots

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Control Systems

Background:

• Pneumatic soft robots offer unique advantages over rigid structures, with their performance heavily reliant on precise air pressure control within chambers.
• Increasing task complexity necessitates advanced pneumatic systems capable of managing diverse pressure states (positive, negative, hybrid).

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a simplified pneumatic design for soft robots capable of programmable pressure control from negative to positive values in independent air branches.
• To develop inflation/deflation and closed-loop feedback control strategies for achieving high-precision pressure regulation.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a prototype pneumatic system with six independent air supply branches.
• Implementation of specialized inflation, deflation, and closed-loop feedback control strategies.
• Demonstration of robotic applications and algorithm design to validate system feasibility.

Main Results:

• The pneumatic system achieved a wide pressure range, from -59 to 112 kPa.
• Controllable inflation and deflation speeds were demonstrated.
• Experimental validation confirmed the system's ability to meet diverse pressure control requirements.

Conclusions:

• The developed pneumatic system provides precise pressure control for soft robots using positive and negative pressures.
• This universal pneumatic platform is a significant advancement for soft robotic actuation and control.
• The design inspires future developments in the field of soft robotics.