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Design and Control of Lightweight Bionic Arm Driven by Soft Twisted and Coiled Artificial Muscles
Sang Yul Yang1, Kihyeon Kim1, Jeong U Ko2
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwonsi, Republic of Korea.
Soft Robotics
|March 7, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed a bionic arm using twisted and coiled actuators (TCAs), which act as artificial muscles. This lightweight robotic arm demonstrates practical application for future advancements in robotics.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Materials Science
- Biomimetics
Background:
- Twisted and coiled actuators (TCAs) are emerging as lightweight, high-power artificial muscles.
- Despite performance improvements, robotic applications of TCAs remain in early development stages.
- Existing challenges include practical manufacturing and system integration for complex robotic movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a lightweight and flexible bionic arm utilizing TCAs.
- To establish a foundation for future robotic development with TCAs as artificial muscles.
- To address design, control system configuration, and control methods for TCA-driven robotics.
Main Methods:
- Developed a repeatable manufacturing process for high-performance TCAs.
- Designed an elbow and hand joint mechanism based on the developed TCA.
- Integrated TCAs, pulley joints, and a control system to create the bionic arm.
Main Results:
- Successfully manufactured TCAs with sufficient practical performance.
- The bionic arm achieved 100° elbow flexion and three degrees of freedom for hand movement.
- Demonstrated effective joint control for coordinated hand and elbow motion.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully developed a functional bionic arm driven by TCAs.
- This demonstrates the potential of TCAs as effective artificial muscles in robotics.
- The developed system provides a basis for more advanced TCA-based robotic applications.
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