Biomimetic machines able to integrate with natural and social environments will find ubiquitous applications, from biodiversity conservation to elderly daily care. Although artificial actuators have reached the contraction performances of muscles, the versatility and grace of the movements realized by the complex arrangements of muscles remain largely unmatched. Here, we present a class of pneumatic artificial muscles, named GeometRy-based Actuators that Contract and Elongate (GRACE). The GRACEs consist of a single-material pleated membrane and do not need any strain-limiting elements. They can contract and extend by design, as described by a mathematical model, and can be realized at different dimensional scales and with different materials and mechanical performances, enabling a wide range of lifelike movements. The GRACEs can be fabricated through low-cost additive manufacturing and even built directly within functional devices, such as a pneumatic artificial hand that is fully three-dimensionally printed in one step. This makes the prototyping and fabrication of pneumatic artificial muscle–based devices faster and more straightforward.

中文翻译：

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使用可收缩和拉长的软致动器的 3D 打印仿生人造肌肉

能够与自然和社会环境相结合的仿生机器将发现无处不在的应用，从生物多样性保护到老年人日常护理。虽然人工致动器已经达到了肌肉的收缩性能，但通过肌肉的复杂排列所实现的动作的多功能性和优雅性在很大程度上仍然是无法比拟的。在这里，我们展示了一类气动人造肌肉，称为基于 GeometRy 的收缩和伸长执行器 (GRACE)。GRACE 由单一材料的褶皱膜组成，不需要任何应变限制元件。它们可以通过设计来收缩和延伸，正如数学模型所描述的那样，可以在不同的维度尺度、不同的材料和机械性能下实现，从而实现各种逼真的运动。GRACE 可以通过低成本的增材制造制造，甚至可以直接构建在功能性设备中，例如一次性完成 3D 打印的气动假手。这使得基于气动人工肌肉的设备的原型设计和制造更快、更直接。