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SoftSnap: Rapid Prototyping of Untethered Soft Robots Using Snap-Together Modules.

Luyang Zhao1, Yitao Jiang1, Chun-Yi She1

  • 1Department of Computer Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.

Soft Robotics
|June 10, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

SoftSnap modules enable rapid prototyping of untethered soft robots. These reconfigurable components offer diverse deformation capabilities for adaptable robotic systems.

Keywords:
bio-inspired roboticscable-driven actuationmodular roboticsrapid prototypingsoft robotics

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Soft robots offer safe, adaptable interactions but face prototyping challenges.
  • Reconfigurable modular robots allow rapid prototyping but struggle to balance design simplicity with extensive deformation capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce SoftSnap modules, a novel system for rapid assembly of untethered soft robots.
  • To address the limitations of existing reconfigurable soft robotic modules in achieving diverse and complex deformations.

Main Methods:

  • Development of SoftSnap modules integrating computation, motor-driven string actuation, and flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-printed structures.
  • Designing modules for seamless connection, enabling a vast range of deformations through pre-wired string configurations.
  • Demonstrating assembly of various robot configurations including starfish-like, brittle star, snake, 3D gripper, and ring-shaped robots.

Main Results:

  • SoftSnap modules facilitate the rapid assembly of untethered soft robots with diverse functionalities.
  • Each module offers a vast deformation range via different pre-wired string configurations.
  • Demonstrated configurations showcase ease of assembly, adaptability, and functional diversity.

Conclusions:

  • The scalable and reconfigurable design of SoftSnap provides an efficient platform for soft robot prototyping.
  • SoftSnap modules overcome limitations in achieving complex deformations with individual modules.
  • This system enables researchers to explore a wide array of soft robotic applications through rapid prototyping.