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Soft pneumatic actuators for pushing fingers into extension.

James V McCall1, Gregory D Buckner2, Derek G Kamper3,4

  • 1Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.

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Summary

Soft pneumatic actuators were developed for hand exoskeletons, offering comfortable finger extension. These compliant actuators enable rapid, safe movements by pushing rather than pulling, improving wearable robotic systems.

Keywords:
ExtensionHandPneumatic actuatorsSoft exoskeleton

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Compliant pneumatic actuators are ideal for wearable robotics due to their lightweight nature and ability to integrate with clothing.
  • Soft actuators can conform to digit shapes, crucial for hand exoskeletons.
  • Palmar-side placement of actuators assists finger extension and resists flexion, requiring both suppleness and stiffness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and evaluate a novel soft pneumatic actuator for hand exoskeleton applications.
  • To optimize actuator geometry for effective finger extension and flexion accommodation.
  • To assess the performance of the actuator in a prototype hand exoskeleton.

Main Methods:

  • Explored geometrical design parameters (shape, dimensions, wall thickness) of a hollow chamber actuator.
  • Fabricated elastomer prototypes and measured active extension force and passive bending resistance.
  • Utilized finite element modeling to analyze the impact of joint rotation on actuator airflow.
  • Constructed a prototype hand exoskeleton using optimized actuator designs.

Main Results:

  • A rectangular chamber shape with specific wall thickness outperformed other designs.
  • Achieved 0.33 N-m extension joint torque at 48.3 kPa chamber pressure.
  • Finite element analysis confirmed consistent airflow in rectangular chambers despite deformation.
  • The prototype exoskeleton demonstrated rapid movement with a 1.1 s cycle time.

Conclusions:

  • Developed soft actuators are suitable for palmar-side finger extension in hand exoskeletons.
  • Palmar placement offers a more comfortable and safer pushing mechanism for extension.
  • Small chamber volumes facilitate rapid actuation for high-frequency finger movements.