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Three-Dimensional Printable Ball Joints with Variable Stiffness for Robotic Applications Based on Soft Pneumatic

Jin Guo1, Jin-Huat Low2, Jun Liu3

  • 1School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.

Polymers
|September 9, 2022
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a novel 3D-printable robotic ball joint with controllable stiffness using pneumatic actuation. This design allows for adjustable stiffness in robotic systems, enhancing their adaptability and performance.

Keywords:
finite element analysisselective laser sintering technologysoft pneumatic elastomer actuatorsvariable stiffness ball joints

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics and Mechanical Engineering
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Actuation and Control Systems

Background:

  • Traditional robotic joints often lack variable stiffness, limiting adaptability in dynamic environments.
  • The integration of soft pneumatic actuators offers a promising avenue for achieving tunable mechanical properties in robotic components.
  • 3D printing technologies enable the fabrication of complex, integrated mechanisms with tailored material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and develop a novel three-dimensional printable robotic ball joint with controllable stiffness.
  • To investigate the modulation of joint stiffness through pneumatic actuation and friction-based braking.
  • To demonstrate the feasibility of creating variable stiffness robotic structures by assembling multiple joints.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of the ball joint using polyamide-12 (PA12) via selective laser sintering (SLS) technology.
  • Integration of a soft pneumatic elastomer actuator and a friction-based support platform for stiffness control.
  • Finite element analysis (FEA) for optimizing the support platform design and experimental stiffness testing.

Main Results:

  • The developed ball joint exhibits 'zero' stiffness in its natural state, allowing free rotation and twisting.
  • Pneumatic actuation enables rapid stiffening, locking the joint's position and orientation.
  • Significant stiffness enhancement achieved, reaching up to 508.11 N·mm (rotational) and 571.93 N·mm (twisting) at 400 kPa.
  • Demonstrated MRI compatibility and potential for miniaturization due to SLS fabrication.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed 3D-printable variable stiffness ball joint offers a novel solution for adaptable robotic linkages.
  • The pneumatic actuation effectively controls stiffness, enabling a transition from free movement to locked states.
  • The design's modularity allows for the construction of complex variable stiffness robotic structures with independent control.