-
Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2021-01-15 Simona Aracri; Francesco Giorgio-Serchi; Giuseppe Suaria; Mohammed E. Sayed; Markus P. Nemitz; Stephen Mahon; Adam A. Stokes
The ocean and human activities related to the sea are under increasing pressure due to climate change, widespread pollution, and growth of the offshore energy sector. Data, in under-sampled regions of the ocean and in the offshore patches where the industrial expansion is taking place, are fundamental to manage successfully a sustainable development and to mitigate climate change. Existing technology
-
Parasitic Capacitance-Free Flexible Tactile Sensor with a Real-Contact Trigger Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2021-01-11 Seonggi Kim; Youngdo Jung; Sunjong Oh; Hyungpil Moon; Hyuneui Lim
In this study, a parasitic capacitance-free tactile sensor with a floating electrode that is capable of identifying actual physical contact pressure by distinguishing from parasitic effects and applicable to sensor arrays is presented. Although capacitive pressure sensors are known for their excellent pressure sensing capabilities in wide range with high sensitivity, they tend to suffer from a parasitic
-
Pneumatically Actuated Soft Gripper with Bistable Structures Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2021-01-08 Zheng Zhang; Xiangqi Ni; Helong Wu; Min Sun; Guanjun Bao; Huaping Wu; Shaofei Jiang
This study presents the design and test of a novel self-adaptive soft gripper, integrating pneumatic actuators and bistable carbon-fiber reinforced polymer laminates. The morphology was designed using the distinct structural characteristics of bistable structures; and the stable gripping configuration of the gripper was maintained through the bistability without continuous pressure application. The
-
An Untethered Soft Robot Based on Liquid Crystal Elastomers Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2021-01-08 Jennifer M. Boothby; Jarod C. Gagnon; Emil McDowell; Tessa Van Volkenburg; Luke Currano; Zhiyong Xia
An untethered, soft robot using liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuators, onboard power, and wireless Bluetooth control was developed. LCE actuators were thermally triggered using Joule heating and demonstrated an ∼5 N force pull capacity per LCE. A >20% repeatable strain was demonstrated over >100 cycles with minimal loss of strain at high cycle numbers. The LCE actuators were horizontally oriented
-
Tactile Model O: Fabrication and Testing of a 3D-Printed, Three-Fingered Tactile Robot Hand Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-18 Jasper W. James; Alex Church; Luke Cramphorn; Nathan F. Lepora
Bringing tactile sensation to robotic hands will allow for more effective grasping, along with a wide range of benefits of human-like touch. Here, we present a three-dimensional-printed, three-fingered tactile robot hand comprising an OpenHand ModelO customized to house a TacTip soft biomimetic tactile sensor in the distal phalanx of each finger. We expect that combining the grasping capabilities of
-
Fiber Jamming Transition as a Stiffening Mechanism for Soft Robotics Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Margherita Brancadoro; Mariangela Manti; Selene Tognarelli; Matteo Cianchetti
Robots made of soft materials are demonstrating to be well suited in applications where dexterity and intrinsic safety are necessary. However, one of the most challenging goals of soft robotics remains the ability to change the stiffness of body parts to guarantee stability and to produce significant forces. Among soft actuation technologies reported in literature, the jamming phenomenon is now achieving
-
Mechanics and Energetics of Electromembranes Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Hadrien Bense; Benoit Roman; Jacco Snoeijer; Bruno Andreotti
The recent discovery of electroactive polymers has shown great promises in the field of soft robotics and was logically followed by experimental, numerical, and theoretical developments. Most of these studies were concerned with systems entirely covered by electrodes. However, there is a growing interest for partially active polymers, in which the electrode covers only one part of the membrane. Indeed
-
Low-Voltage-Driven Large-Amplitude Soft Actuators Based on Phase Transition Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Ragesh Chellattoan; Arief Yudhanto; Gilles Lubineau
Soft actuators producing large motion in a short time are mostly based on stretchable polymers actuated by pneumatic pressure; they consist of bulky components, including a motor, pump/compressor, tubes, and valves. In this study, we develop a fast-responding large-amplitude soft actuator, based on a liquid–gas phase transition, which produces a compact system. The required pressure is generated solely
-
Continuum Robotic Caterpillar with Wirelessly Powered Shape Memory Alloy Actuators Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Colm Mc Caffrey; Takuya Umedachi; Weiwei Jiang; Takuya Sasatani; Yoshiaki Narusue; Ryuma Niiyama; Yoshihiro Kawahara
Wireless power transfer (WPT) has the significant potential for soft-bodied continuum robots to extend the operational time limitlessly and reduce weight. However, rigid power receiver coils, widely used in WPT, hinder the continuum deformation of the robot, and as a result, the function realization using the continuum deformation (e.g., locomotion) is impaired. Therefore, this article introduces that
-
Additive Manufacturing for Self-Healing Soft Robots Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Ellen Roels; Seppe Terryn; Joost Brancart; Robrecht Verhelle; Guy Van Assche; Bram Vanderborght
The field of self-healing soft robots was initiated a few years ago. A healing ability can be integrated in soft robots by manufacturing their soft membranes out of synthetic self-healing polymers, more specifically elastomeric Diels–Alder (DA) networks. As such they can recover completely from macroscopic damage, including scratches, cuts, and ruptures. Before this research, these robots were manufactured
-
Lightweight Highly Tunable Jamming-Based Composites. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Yashraj S Narang,Buse Aktaş,Sarah Ornellas,Joost J Vlassak,Robert D Howe
Tunable-impedance mechanisms can improve the adaptivity, robustness, and efficiency of a vast array of engineering systems and soft robots. In this study, we introduce a tunable-stiffness mechanism called a “sandwich jamming structure,” which fuses the exceptional stiffness range of state-of-the-art laminar jamming structures (also known as layer jamming structures) with the high stiffness-to-mass
-
Two-Dimensional Thermal Haptic Module Based on a Flexible Thermoelectric Device Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Seongho Kim; Taeyeon Kim; Choong Sun Kim; Hyeongdo Choi; Yong Jun Kim; Gyu Soup Lee; Ockkyun Oh; Byung Jin Cho
In this study, we introduce a haptic communication method using two-dimensional (2D) arrayed thermal haptic module. The 2D thermal haptic module delivers real-time information to user through the thermoception of the user's skin. Such 2D thermal haptic module could be realized using flexible thermoelectric (TE) device and independent temperature control of individual unit cell that are arranged in
-
Adaptive Variable Stiffness Particle Phalange for Robust and Durable Robotic Grasping. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Jianshu Zhou,Yonghua Chen,Yong Hu,Zheng Wang,Yunquan Li,Guoying Gu,Yunhui Liu
Grasping is an important characteristic of robots in interacting with humans and the environment. Due to the inherent compliance of soft grippers, they can easily adapt to novel objects and operate safely in a human-centered environment. However, soft hands suffer from poor grasping robustness and operation durability, especially for heavy objects or objects with sharp spikes, mainly due to their fragile
-
Optimal Design of a Compliant Constant-Force Mechanism to Deliver a Nearly Constant Output Force Over a Range of Input Displacements Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Chih-Hsing Liu; Mao-Cheng Hsu; Ta-Lun Chen; Yang Chen
This study presents an optimal design procedure, including topology and geometry optimization methods to design a compliant constant-force mechanism, which can generate a nearly constant output force over a range of input displacements. The proposed constant-force mechanism is a passive force regulation device that can be used in various applications such as precision manipulation and overload protection
-
Flexoskeleton Printing Enables Versatile Fabrication of Hybrid Soft and Rigid Robots Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-16 Mingsong Jiang; Ziyi Zhou; Nicholas Gravish
One of the many secrets to the success and prevalence of insects is their versatile, robust, and complex exoskeleton morphology. A fundamental challenge in insect-inspired robotics has been the fabrication of robotic exoskeletons that can match the complexity of exoskeleton structural mechanics. Hybrid robots composed of rigid and soft elements have previously required access to expensive multi-material
-
A Bioinspired Soft Swallowing Gripper for Universal Adaptable Grasping Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-03 Dongbao Sui; Yanhe Zhu; Sikai Zhao; Tianshuo Wang; Sunil K. Agrawal; He Zhang; Jie Zhao
This article presents the design, fabrication, modeling, and preliminary tests of a bloodworm-inspired soft gripper for universal grasping. The gripper was designed and fabricated based on a toy called water snake wiggly (WSW). The toroidal WSW can evert itself inside-out or outside-in, just like a bloodworm everting its teeth outside to hunt and inside to feed. By driving a WSW rolling itself outside-in
-
3D Printed Biomimetic Soft Robot with Multimodal Locomotion and Multifunctionality Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-03 Erina Baynojir Joyee; Adam Szmelter; David Eddington; Yayue Pan
Soft robots can outperform traditional rigid robots in terms of structural compliance, enhanced safety, and efficient locomotion. However, it is still a grand challenge to design and efficiently manufacture soft robots with multimodal locomotion capability together with multifunctionality for navigating in dynamic environments and meanwhile performing diverse tasks in real-life applications. This study
-
Microfiber-Shaped Programmable Materials with Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-03 Nobuki Takeuchi; Shunsuke Nakajima; Koki Yoshida; Ryuji Kawano; Yutaka Hori; Hiroaki Onoe
Programmable materials have artificially designed physical shapes responding to external stimuli, as well as high design capability and high flexibility. Here, we propose a microfiber-shaped programmable material with an axial pattern of stimuli-responsive (SR) and nonresponsive hydrogels. The SR pre-gel solution was mixed to sodium alginate pre-gel solution for instantaneous gelation with ionic crosslinking
-
An Exoneuromusculoskeleton for Self-Help Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-12-03 Chingyi Nam; Wei Rong; Waiming Li; Chingyee Cheung; Wingkit Ngai; Tszching Cheung; Mankit Pang; Li Li; Junyan Hu; Honwah Wai; Xiaoling Hu
This article presents a novel electromyography (EMG)-driven exoneuromusculoskeleton that integrates the neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), soft pneumatic muscle, and exoskeleton techniques, for self-help upper limb training after stroke. The developed system can assist the elbow, wrist, and fingers to perform sequential arm reaching and withdrawing tasks under voluntary effort control through
-
An Air Recirculation System Based on Bioinspired Soft Re-Air Valve for Highly Efficient Pneumatic Actuation Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-11-20 Sinyoung Lee; Dongun Lee; Dongjun Shin
Owing to their compliance, lightweight, and high force density characteristics, pneumatic actuation systems have been widely implemented in various soft robots. However, pneumatic actuation systems exhibit low efficiency, poor control performance, and high noise; these make it extremely challenging to widely employ a pneumatic actuation system in mobile robots. To overcome these limitations, many researches
-
Reconfigurable Particle Swarm Robotics Powered by Acoustic Vibration Tweezer Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-11-20 Zhitao Zhou; Zewei Hou; Yongmao Pei
Inspired by natural swarms such as bees and ants, various types of swarm robotic systems have been developed to work together to complete tasks that transcend individual capabilities. Autonomous robots controlled by collective algorithm and colloidal swarms energized by external field have been designed in an attempt to emulate collective behaviors in nature. However, either sophisticated hardware
-
Compliant, Large-Strain, and Self-Sensing Twisted String Actuators Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-11-20 David Bombara; Steven Fowzer; Jun Zhang
Twisted string actuators (TSAs) convert rotational motion from twisting into linear motion. They are known for high energy efficiency, and large linear strain and stress outputs. Although they have been successfully applied as the moving mechanism for different robot applications, their potential in soft robotics is mainly challenged by two aspects: First, the conventional strings of TSAs are stiff
-
Electrically Activated Soft Robots: Speed Up by Rolling Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-11-11 Wen-Bo Li; Wen-Ming Zhang; Qiu-Hua Gao; Qiwei Guo; Song Wu; Hong-Xiang Zou; Zhi-Ke Peng; Guang Meng
Soft robots show excellent body compliance, adaptability, and mobility when coping with unstructured environments and human–robot interactions. However, the moving speed for soft locomotion robots is far from that of their rigid partners. Rolling locomotion can provide a promising solution for developing high-speed robots. Based on different rolling mechanisms, three rolling soft robot (RSR) prototypes
-
Role of Fiber Orientations in the Mechanics of Bioinspired Fiber-Reinforced Elastomers Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-11-09 Aritra Chatterjee; Nimesh R. Chahare; Paturu Kondaiah; Namrata Gundiah
Fiber reinforcement is a crucial attribute of soft-bodied muscular hydrostats that have the ability to undergo large deformations and maintain their posture. Helically wound fibers around the cylindrical worm body help control the tube diameter and length. Geometric considerations show that a fiber winding angle of 54.7°, called the magic angle, results in a maximum enclosed volume. Few studies have
-
Performance Enhancement of Soft Nanotextured Thermopneumatic Actuator by Incorporating Silver Nanowires into Elastomer Body Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-29 Yong Il Kim; Seongpil An; Alexander L. Yarin; Sam S. Yoon
To improve performance of thermopneumatic soft actuators, which have recently been developed for various industrial applications, we embedded different nanoscale materials into their elastomer bodies. This yields a significant enhancement in the actuator performance via improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the elastomer bodies. In addition, the use of nanoinclusions diminished losses
-
A Shapeshifting Ferrofluidic Robot Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-23 Reza Ahmed; Mahdi Ilami; Joseph Bant; Borhan Beigzadeh; Hamid Marvi
To create a miniature shapeshifting robot capable of controlled movement, subdivision, regeneration, passage through small channels, engulfment of particles, object manipulation, and flow manipulation, a droplet of magnetically responsive ferrofluid is used. The ferrofluidic robot can achieve the aforementioned functions when both its position and shape are controlled using a custom electromagnetic
-
A Novel Inflatable Actuator Based on Simultaneous Eversion Retraction Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-23 Juan M. Alvarez-Palacio; Eric Monteiro; Alain Riwan; Nazih Mechbal
Inflatable robotics is a promising area for the deployment of low-cost structures that are easy to transport and deploy while allowing safe interactions with humans and the environment. One of the key elements in the development of inflatable robots is their actuation system. In this work, we introduce the original concept of a Simultaneous Eversion-Retraction Inflatable Actuator, used in the actuation
-
Variable Rigidity Module with a Flexible Thermoelectric Device for Bidirectional Temperature Control Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-23 Choong Sun Kim; Ock Kyun Oh; Hyeongdo Choi; Yong Jun Kim; Gyu Soup Lee; Hyun Jung Kim; Carmel Majidi; Seung-Won Kim; Byung Jin Cho
Dynamic stiffness tuning is a promising approach for shape reconfigurable systems that must adapt their flexibility in response to changing operational requirements. Among stiffness tuning technologies, phase change materials are particularly promising because they are size scalable and can be powered using portable electronics. However, the long transition time required for phase change is a great
-
An Underwater Robotic Manipulator with Soft Bladders and Compact Depth-Independent Actuation. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Zhong Shen,Hua Zhong,Erchao Xu,Runzhi Zhang,Ki Chun Yip,Lawrence Long Chan,Leo Lai Chan,Jia Pan,Wenping Wang,Zheng Wang
An underwater manipulator is essential for underwater robotic sampling and other service operations. Conventional rigid body underwater manipulators generally required substantial size and weight, leading to hindered general applications. Pioneering soft robotic underwater manipulators have defied this by offering dexterous and lightweight arms and grippers, but still requiring substantial actuation
-
Position and Force Control of a Soft Pneumatic Actuator. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Peyman Abbasi,Mohammad Ali Nekoui,Mohammad Zareinejad,Pouya Abbasi,Zahra Azhang
Recent advances in robotic systems have increased the need for various kinds of robots in many fields, such as aerospace and medical. Utilizing hard robots in such fields can cause irrecoverable damages; therefore, scientists have taken inspiration from nature to build robots with soft bodies. In this article, a soft pneumatic actuator that reshapes in the x–y plane is controlled. This continuous soft
-
Untethered Soft Robotics with Fully Integrated Wireless Sensing and Actuating Systems for Somatosensory and Respiratory Functions. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Byungkook Oh,Young-Geun Park,Hwaebong Jung,Sangyoon Ji,Woon Hyung Cheong,Jinwoo Cheon,Wooyoung Lee,Jang-Ung Park
There has been a great deal of interest in designing soft robots that can mimic a human system with haptic and proprioceptive functions. There is now a strong demand for soft robots that can sense their surroundings and functions in harsh environments. This is because the wireless sensing and actuating capabilities of these soft robots are very important for monitoring explosive gases in disaster areas
-
Geometric Confined Pneumatic Soft-Rigid Hybrid Actuators. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Jinhua Zhang,Tao Wang,Jin Wang,Michael Yu Wang,Baotong Li,John X J Zhang,Jun Hong
In this work, we propose a new kind of soft–rigid hybrid actuator composed mainly of soft chambers and rigid frames. Compared with the well-known fiber-reinforced soft actuators, the hybrid actuators are able to ensure the design of noncircular cross-sectional shapes. It is demonstrated that rigid frames are capable of providing geometric constraints, reducing the ineffective deformation, and improving
-
Design, Modeling, and Evaluation of Fabric-Based Pneumatic Actuators for Soft Wearable Assistive Gloves. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Lisen Ge,Feifei Chen,Dong Wang,Yifan Zhang,Dong Han,Tao Wang,Guoying Gu
Textile fabrics are compliant, lightweight, and inherently anisotropic, making them promising for the design of soft pneumatic actuators. In this article, we present the design, modeling, and evaluation of a class of soft fabric-based pneumatic actuators (SFPAs) for soft wearable assistive gloves that can simultaneously assist the thumb abduction and finger flexion and extension motions for brachial
-
Novel Bending and Helical Extensile/Contractile Pneumatic Artificial Muscles Inspired by Elephant Trunk Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Qinghua Guan; Jian Sun; Yanju Liu; Norman M. Wereley; Jinsong Leng
Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are an extensively investigated type of soft actuator. However, the PAM motions have been limited somewhat to uniaxial contraction and extension, restraining the development of PAMs. Given the current strong interest in soft robotics, PAMs have been gaining renewed attention due to their excellent compliance and ease of fabrication. Herein, under the inspiration
-
Swimming Performance of the Frog-Inspired Soft Robot. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Jizhuang Fan,Shuqi Wang,Qingguo Yu,Yanhe Zhu
This article presents a frog-inspired swimming soft robot whose joints are articulated pneumatic soft actuators. The soft actuator is designed and prepared by studying the biological structure and limb movement characteristics of frogs. A schematic limb motion diagram of the robot is established based on the kinematic model, and the design scheme is determined by a combined control system. The torso
-
Fluid-Structure Coupling Model and Experimental Validation of Interaction Between Pneumatic Soft Actuator and Lower Limb. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Dong Guan,Rong Liu,Chengwei Fei,Shumi Zhao,Lingxiao Jing
Pneumatic soft actuators (PSAs) are components that produce predesigned motion or force in different end-use devices. PSAs are lightweight, flexible, and compatible in human–machine interaction. The use of PSAs in compression therapy has proven promising in proactive pressure delivery with a wide range of dosages for treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and lymphedema. However, effective design
-
Three-Layered Design of Electrothermal Actuators for Minimal Voltage Operation Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Gal Tibi; Ela Sachyani Keneth; Michael Layani; Shlomo Magdassi; Amir Degani
By designing an actuator composed of thin layers with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) together with an electrically conductive layer, the CTE mismatch can be utilized to produce soft electrothermal actuators (ETAs). These actuators have been typically implemented using only two layers, commonly relying on Timoshenko's analytic model that correlates the temperature to the actuator's
-
Octopus Arm-Inspired Tapered Soft Actuators with Suckers for Improved Grasping Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Zhexin Xie; August G. Domel; Ning An; Connor Green; Zheyuan Gong; Tianmiao Wang; Elias M. Knubben; James C. Weaver; Katia Bertoldi; Li Wen
Octopuses can employ their tapered arms to catch prey of all shapes and sizes due to their dexterity, flexibility, and gripping power. Intrigued by variability in arm taper angle between different octopus species, we explored the utility of designing soft actuators exhibiting a distinctive conical geometry, compared with more traditional cylindrical forms. We find that these octopus-inspired conical-shaped
-
Miniaturized Circuitry for Capacitive Self-Sensing and Closed-Loop Control of Soft Electrostatic Transducers Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-01 Khoi Ly; Nicholas Kellaris; Dade McMorris; Brian K. Johnson; Eric Acome; Vani Sundaram; Mantas Naris; J. Sean Humbert; Mark E. Rentschler; Christoph Keplinger; Nikolaus Correll
Soft robotics is a field of robotic system design characterized by materials and structures that exhibit large-scale deformation, high compliance, and rich multifunctionality. The incorporation of soft and deformable structures endows soft robotic systems with the compliance and resiliency that makes them well adapted for unstructured and dynamic environments. Although actuation mechanisms for soft
-
Modeling and Optimization of Electrostatic Film Actuators Based on the Method of Moments Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-10-01 Wenguang Wang; Dongliang Fan; Renjie Zhu; Peisong Wang; Yonghua Zhao; Hongqiang Wang
Electrostatic film actuators represent a promising new approach to drive a soft robot, but they lack a comprehensive model to link the design parameters and actuation performance, making actuator design and parameter optimization challenging. To solve this problem, we build a mathematical model based on the method of moments by assuming that each electrode consists of a large number of line charges
-
Surface Actuation and Sensing of a Tensegrity Structure Using Robotic Skins. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-09-25 Joran W Booth,Olivier Cyr-Choinière,Jennifer C Case,Dylan Shah,Michelle C Yuen,Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio
Tensegrity robots comprising solid rods connected by tensile cables are of interest due to their flexible and robust nature, which potentially makes them suitable for uneven and unpredictable environments where traditional robots often struggle. Much progress has been made toward attaining locomotion with tensegrity robots. However, measuring the shape of a dynamic tensegrity without the use of external
-
Increased Longevity and Pumping Performance of an Injection Molded Soft Total Artificial Heart. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Leonard G Guex,Lewis S Jones,A Xavier Kohll,Roland Walker,Mirko Meboldt,Volkmar Falk,M Schmid Daners,Wendelin J Stark
In this work, we present an injection molded soft total artificial heart (sTAH) produced from high-temperature vulcanizing silicone using an industrial metal injection mold. At 60 beats per minute, the sTAH exhibited a total cardiac output of over 16 L/min against physiological pressures on a mock circulation and was pumped continuously for 110,000 actuation cycles. Finite element analysis was used
-
Texture Discrimination with a Soft Biomimetic Finger Using a Flexible Neuromorphic Tactile Sensor Array That Provides Sensory Feedback. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Sriramana Sankar,Darshini Balamurugan,Alisa Brown,Keqin Ding,Xingyuan Xu,Jin Huat Low,Chen Hua Yeow,Nitish Thakor
The compliant nature of soft fingers allows for safe and dexterous manipulation of objects by humans in an unstructured environment. A soft prosthetic finger design with tactile sensing capabilities for texture discrimination and subsequent sensory stimulation has the potential to create a more natural experience for an amputee. In this work, a pneumatically actuated soft biomimetic finger is integrated
-
Soft Pneumatic Actuator with Bimodal Bending Response Using a Single Pressure Source. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-25 David Rostin Ellis,Martin Philip Venter,Gerhard Venter
Deformation behavior of soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) can mechanically be preprogrammed into their architecture during design. To date, the majority of SPAs rely on a unimodal bending design. This paper develops a method of including a bimodal design into the deformed state by means of a bilinear material that replaces the conventional strain limiter. With a simple increase in pneumatic pressure
-
An Analysis of Peristaltic Locomotion for Maximizing Velocity or Minimizing Cost of Transport of Earthworm-Like Robots. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-25 Akhil Kandhari,Yifan Wang,Hillel J Chiel,Roger D Quinn,Kathryn A Daltorio
Earthworm-like peristaltic locomotion has been implemented in >50 robots, with many potential applications in otherwise inaccessible terrain. Design guidelines for peristaltic locomotion have come from observations of biology, but robots have empirically explored different structures, actuators, and control waveform shapes than those observed in biological organisms. In this study, we suggest a template
-
Design and Fabrication of a Low-Cost Silicone and Water-Based Soft Actuator with a High Load-to-Weight Ratio. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-21 Junfeng Li,Minjie Sun,Zuqi Wu
Traditional actuators, such as motors as well as hydraulic or pneumatic artificial muscles, demonstrate excessive noise, a heavy weight, and a large size, which limit their practical application in many areas. Therefore, for many decades, scientists have worked to develop new types of silent, small, and light actuators. In this article, a novel soft actuator (actuator3) with a high load-to-weight ratio
-
Rapid Soft Material Actuation Through Droplet Evaporation. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-21 Han-Joo Lee,Peerasait Prachaseree,Kenneth J Loh
Soft material actuation is a promising field that can potentially solve several limitations of traditional robotic systems. These systems comprise soft and flexible materials to achieve high degrees of freedom and compliance with their surroundings. One method to actuate such structures is to vaporize liquid that is embedded inside the soft material. The soft elastomers are inflated since the generated
-
Circular Shell Gripper for Handling Food Products. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Zhongkui Wang,Ryo Kanegae,Shinichi Hirai
Pneumatically driven soft robotic grippers have been extensively studied in recent years. A majority of the grippers, especially those entirely composed of soft materials, can adapt to and handle various objects. However, there are limited studies regarding the realization of arbitrary grasping postures and twisting manipulation. Furthermore, the handling efficiency or the takt time of a handling task
-
MagWorm: A Biomimetic Magnet Embedded Worm-Like Soft Robot. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Hanqing Niu,Ruoyu Feng,Yuwei Xie,Bowen Jiang,Yongzhi Sheng,Yang Yu,Hexi Baoyin,Xiangyuan Zeng
Emerging worm-like soft robots with various soft materials and different actuation mechanism have been frequently discussed. It is very challenging for soft robots in realizing a fast and untethered crawling. In this article, a biomimetic magnet embedded worm-like robot (shorted as “MagWorm”) in the size of centimeter level is designed and investigated. The actuation of the MagWorm is achieved by housing
-
A Soft Exoskeleton for Tremor Suppression Equipped with Flexible Semiactive Actuator. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Ahmad Zahedi,Bin Zhang,Andong Yi,Dingguo Zhang
Pathological tremor is a kind of movement disorder that affects a wide range of patients with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. Different from available clinical treatments for tremor, including drug and surgery therapy, a novel soft exoskeleton for tremor suppression (SETS) based on assistive technologies is proposed in this study. The SETS system is equipped with a controllable flexible semiactive
-
Fluid Mechanics of Pneumatic Soft Robots. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Peter Breitman,Yoav Matia,Amir D Gat
Pressurization of gas within embedded channels and cavities is a popular method for actuating soft robots. Various previous works examined the effects of internal fluid mechanics on this actuation approach, as well as on leveraging viscous effects to extend the capabilities of soft robots. However, no existing works studied the combined effects of fluid viscosity and compressibility, relevant to miniaturized
-
Analytical Modeling and Design of Generalized Pneu-Net Soft Actuators with Three-Dimensional Deformations. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Guoying Gu,Dong Wang,Lisen Ge,Xiangyang Zhu
Pneu-net soft actuators, consisting of pneumatic networks of small chambers embedded in elastomeric structures, are particularly promising candidates in the society of soft robotics. However, there are few studies on the analytical modeling of pneu-net soft actuators, especially in the three-dimensional space. In this article, based on the minimum potential energy method and the continuum rod theory
-
Limpet II: A Modular, Untethered Soft Robot. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-05 Mohammed E Sayed,Jamie O Roberts,Ross M McKenzie,Simona Aracri,Anthony Buchoux,Adam A Stokes
The ability to navigate complex unstructured environments and carry out inspection tasks requires robots to be capable of climbing inclined surfaces and to be equipped with a sensor payload. These features are desirable for robots that are used to inspect and monitor offshore energy platforms. Existing climbing robots mostly use rigid actuators, and robots that use soft actuators are not fully untethered
-
A Machine-Learning-Based Approach to Solve Both Contact Location and Force in Soft Material Tactile Sensors. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Luca Massari,Emiliano Schena,Carlo Massaroni,Paola Saccomandi,Arianna Menciassi,Edoardo Sinibaldi,Calogero Maria Oddo
This study addresses a design and calibration methodology based on numerical finite element method (FEM) modeling for the development of a soft tactile sensor able to simultaneously solve the magnitude and the application location of a normal load exerted onto its surface. The sensor entails the integration of a Bragg grating fiber optic sensor in a Dragon Skin 10 polymer brick (110 mm length, 24 mm
-
Laser-Profiled Continuum Robot with Integrated Tension Sensing for Simultaneous Shape and Tip Force Estimation. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Anzhu Gao,Ning Liu,Mali Shen,Mohamed E M K Abdelaziz,Burak Temelkuran,Guang-Zhong Yang
The development of miniaturized continuum robots has a wide range of applications in minimally invasive endoluminal interventions. To navigate inside tortuous lumens without impinging on the vessel wall and causing tissue damage or the risk of perforation, it is necessary to have simultaneous shape sensing of the continuum robot and its tip contact force sensing with the surrounding environment. Miniaturization
-
Self-Regulating Plant Robots: Bioinspired Heliotropism and Nyctinasty. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Suleyman Doruk Cezan,Hasan Tarik Baytekin,Bilge Baytekin
Self-regulation (or so-called homeostasis) is a property of all living organisms to maintain an internal stable state through specialized biofeedback mechanisms under varying external and internal conditions. Although these feedback mechanisms in living organisms are complex networks and hard to implement one-to-one in artificial systems, the new approaches in soft robotics may benefit from the concept
-
A Wearable Soft Haptic Communicator Based on Dielectric Elastomer Actuators. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Huichan Zhao,Aftab M Hussain,Ali Israr,Daniel M Vogt,Mihai Duduta,David R Clarke,Robert J Wood
Dielectric elastomer actuators exhibit an unusual combination of large displacements, moderate bandwidth, low power consumption, and mechanical impedance comparable with human skin, making them attractive for haptic devices. In this article, we propose a wearable haptic communication device based on a two-by-two array of dielectric elastomer linear actuators. We briefly describe the architecture of
-
Optical Sensor-Embedded Pneumatic Artificial Muscle for Position and Force Estimation. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Lucas O Tiziani,Frank L Hammond
This study presents the design of a pneumatic artificial muscle with integrated soft optical sensing for estimation of muscle contraction length and contraction force. Each optical sensor uses an light emitting diode (LED)-photodiode pair to measure the light reflected by a silicone diaphragm embedded in the muscle. One diaphragm is designed to respond primarily to changes in muscle pressure, whereas
-
Experimental Investigation into the Dynamics of a Radially Contracting Actuator with Embedded Sensing Capability. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Yu Dang,Harish Devaraj,Martin Stommel,Leo K Cheng,Andrew J McDaid,Weiliang Xu
Dynamics, control, and sensing are still challenges for pneumatically actuated soft actuators. We consider feasible solutions based on a radially contracting actuator to overcome these challenges. The radially contracting actuator was inspired by the movement of the stomach wall. It was capable of achieving radial contraction by inflating its circular air chamber. A quasi-static model that relates
-
A Bioinspired Soft Swallowing Robot Based on Compliant Guiding Structure. Soft Robot. (IF 5.543) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Haili Li,Jiantao Yao,Chunye Liu,Pan Zhou,Yundou Xu,Yongsheng Zhao
From small unicellular organisms to large mammals, swallowing is an important way for them to interact with their external environment. The majority of these animals swallow their targets for the purpose of hunting, and some fish and amphibians protect their cubs from external injury by swallowing them. Thus, swallowing can produce an efficient capture, keep the integrity of targets, and provide effective
Contents have been reproduced by permission of the publishers.