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Nonlinear Inflatable Actuators for Distributed Control in Soft Robots
Bert Van Raemdonck1, Edoardo Milana1,2,3, Michael De Volder1,4
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven and Flanders Make, Celestijnenlaan 300, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|May 19, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed novel soft robotic actuators that embody complex functions like memory and computation within their mechanical design. This innovation reduces external hardware, enabling intricate actuation sequences from a single input by utilizing buckling phenomena.
Area of Science:
- Soft robotics
- Mechanical engineering
- Materials science
Background:
- The complexity and size of control hardware limit the application of soft robotic systems.
- Embodying functionality within actuator characteristics can reduce peripheral requirements.
- Intrinsic mechanical behaviors of designed structures can enable functions like memory, computation, and energy storage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce soft robotic actuators with tunable characteristics for complex actuation sequences from a single input.
- To harness hysteron characteristics encoded in the buckling of a cone-shaped shell for intricate functionality.
- To develop a tool for determining actuator geometry based on desired characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Incorporating a cone-shaped shell into actuator design to utilize buckling-induced hysteron characteristics.
- Varying actuator geometry to generate a wide range of hysteron characteristics.
- Mapping the relationship between actuator geometry and its characteristics.
- Creating a design tool to identify optimal actuator geometry for specific functions.
Main Results:
- Actuators with tunable characteristics capable of generating complex actuation sequences were successfully developed.
- A direct correlation between actuator geometry and its hysteron characteristics was established and mapped.
- A design tool was created to predict and select actuator geometries for desired functionalities.
- A system of six actuators was demonstrated to play a complex musical piece using a single pressure supply.
Conclusions:
- Soft robotic actuator functionality can be intrinsically embodied through mechanical design, reducing reliance on external hardware.
- Buckling phenomena in precisely engineered structures offer a pathway to complex, programmable behaviors in soft actuators.
- The developed design methodology and tool enable the creation of sophisticated soft robotic systems with simplified control architectures.
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