256 research outputs found
Soft manipulators and grippers: A review
Soft robotics is a growing area of research which utilizes the compliance and adaptability of soft structures to develop highly adaptive robotics for soft interactions. One area in which soft robotics has the ability to make significant impact is in the development of soft grippers and manipulators. With an increased requirement for automation, robotics systems are required to perform task in unstructured and not well defined environments; conditions which conventional rigid robotics are not best suited. This requires a paradigm shift in the methods and materials used to develop robots such that they can adapt to and work safely in human environments. One solution to this is soft robotics, which enables soft interactions with the surroundings while maintaining the ability to apply significant force. This review paper assesses the current materials and methods, actuation methods and sensors which are used in the development of soft manipulators. The achievements and shortcomings of recent technology in these key areas are evaluated, and this paper concludes with a discussion on the potential impacts of soft manipulators on industry and society
Biomechanics in batoid fishes
Batoid fishes (e.g., manta rays) are extremely efficient swimmers, combining extreme strength and incredible maneuverability. Replicating these unique properties in synthetic autonomous under-water vehicles would have tremendous implications. Several research groups have been exploring these concepts for the past decade, and a small number of
prototypes have been demonstrated. Importantly though, these prototypes match the batoid external motion (in terms of range of motion and actuation force) but do not employ a similar internal mechanics.
The configuration of skeletons and muscle structures for a number of different batoid
fishes have been recently unveiled, presenting a unique opportunity to analyze the internal mechanics of these complex structures, and ultimately use the acquired understanding to realize truly bio-mimetic underwater vehicles.
As a whole wing has hundreds of moving elements, a full finite elements simulation of the entire wing is not feasible. To address this problem, we implemented a numerical model which will represent a part of the entire wing, and we investigated the effects of geometric and materials parameters on its stiffness. The length of each radial and the offset between
them are going to be the most relevant variables and hence, the ones tested.
Furthermore, to represent efficiently all the wing, we calculated its effective elastic
properties using rigorous homogenization theory. These properties could then be used in shell FE models of the entire wing, and capture spatial variation in elastic constants in a numerically efficient way. Within the context of this work, the stiff and compliant direction will be found and that will give us an idea of the ability of the model to capture the experimentally observed deformation patterns.
We observe that our 2D homogenized wing model fails to capture the substantial
twisting/bending coupling that is observed experimentally. We speculate that the lack of
torsional degree of freedom at the joints is responsible for this discrepancy.
Once this deformation mechanism is built into a model, future investigations can use the homogenized stiffness approach to extract an effective continuum-based representation of the response of the wing in a continuum shell finite element model. This element can then
be used for efficient modeling of entire wings; this will allow efficient modeling of
spatially non-uniform wing morphologies in a Finite Elements setting. Once the elastic
response of the wing is completely characterized, efforts will need to focus on actuation.Outgoin
Autonomous Soft Robotic Fish Capable of Escape Maneuvers Using Fluidic Elastomer Actuators
In this work we describe an autonomous soft-bodied robot that is both self-contained and capable of rapid, continuum-body motion. We detail the design, modeling, fabrication, and control of the soft fish, focusing on enabling the robot to perform rapid escape responses. The robot employs a compliant body with embedded actuators emulating the slender anatomical form of a fish. In addition, the robot has a novel fluidic actuation system that drives body motion and has all the subsystems of a traditional robot onboard: power, actuation, processing, and control. At the core of the fish's soft body is an array of fluidic elastomer actuators. We design the fish to emulate escape responses in addition to forward swimming because such maneuvers require rapid body accelerations and continuum-body motion. These maneuvers showcase the performance capabilities of this self-contained robot. The kinematics and controllability of the robot during simulated escape response maneuvers are analyzed and compared with studies on biological fish. We show that during escape responses, the soft-bodied robot has similar input–output relationships to those observed in biological fish. The major implication of this work is that we show soft robots can be both self-contained and capable of rapid body motion.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF IIS1226883)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF CCF1138967)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1122374
Pre-stressed Bi-stable Hair Clip Mechanism for Faster Swimming Robots
Structural instability is a hazard that leads to catastrophic failure and is
generally avoided through special designs. A trend, however, has emerged over
the past decades pointing to the harnessing of mechanisms with instability.
Inspired by the snapping of a hair clip, we are finessing the unique
characteristics of the lateral-torsional buckling of beams and the snap-through
of pre-buckled dome-like thin-wall structures in a new field: the in-plane
prestressed mechanism. Analyses reveal how the 2D-3D assembly of an in-plane
prestressed actuator (IPA) is achieved and how the post-buckling energy
landscape is pictured. Combining them with soft robotics, we show that the
inclusion of a bistable IPA can enormously enhance the performance of an
underwater fish robot as well as inspire a finger-like soft gripper.Comment: Posted repeatedl
Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective
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 cannot cope with the vast and harsh environments that need monitoring and sampling the most. The limiting factors are, among others, the spatial scales of the physical domain, the high pressure, and the strong hydrodynamic perturbations, which require vehicles with a combination of persistent autonomy, augmented efficiency, extreme robustness, and advanced control. In light of the most recent developments in soft robotics technologies, we propose that the use of soft robots may aid in addressing the challenges posed by abyssal and wave-dominated environments. Nevertheless, soft robots also allow for fast and low-cost manufacturing, presenting a new potential problem: marine pollution from ubiquitous soft sampling devices. In this study, the technological and scientific gaps are widely discussed, as they represent the driving factors for the development of soft robotics. Offshore industry supports increasing energy demand and the employment of robots on marine assets is growing. Such expansion needs to be sustained by the knowledge of the oceanic environment, where large remote areas are yet to be explored and adequately sampled. We offer our perspective on the development of sustainable soft systems, indicating the characteristics of the existing soft robots that promote underwater maneuverability, locomotion, and sampling. This perspective encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the design of aquatic soft robots and invites a discussion about the industrial and oceanographic needs that call for their application
Sma control for bio-mimetic fish locomotion
In this paper, we describe our current work on bio-inspired locomotion systems using smart materials. The aim of this work is to investigate alternative actuation mechanisms based on smart materials, exploring the possibility of building motor-less and gear-less robots. A swimming underwater robot is being developed whose movements are generated using such materials, concretely Shape Memory Alloys. This paper focuses on the actuators control in order to generate the desired motion pattern
DEVELOPMENT OF A SOFT PNEUMATIC ACTUATOR FOR MODULAR ROBOTIC MECHANISMS
Soft robotics is a widely and rapidly growing field of research today. Soft
pneumatic actuators, as a fundamental element in soft robotics, have gained
huge popularity and are being employed for the development of soft robots.
During the last decade, a variety of hyper-elastic robotic systems have been
realized. As the name suggests, such robots are made up of soft materials,
and do not have any underlying rigid mechanical structure. These robots are
actuated employing various methods like pneumatic, electroactive, jamming
etc. Generally, in order to achieve a desired mechanical response to produce
required actuation or manipulation, two or more materials having different
stiffness are utilized to develop a soft robot. However, this method introduces
complications in the fabrication process as well as in further design
flexibility and modifications. The current work presents a design scheme of
a soft robotic actuator adapting an easier fabrication approach, which is economical
and environment friendly as well.
The purpose is the realization of a soft pneumatic actuator having functional
ability to produce effective actuation, and which is further employable
to develop modular and scalable mechanisms. That infers to scrutinize the
profile and orientation of the internal actuation cavity and the outer shape of
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the actuator. Utilization of a single material for this actuator has been considered
to make this design scheme convenient. A commercial silicone rubber
was selected which served for an economical process both in terms of the
cost as well as its accommodating fabrication process through molding. In
order to obtain the material behavior, \u2018Ansys Workbench 17.1 R
\u2019 has been
used. Cubic outline for the actuator aided towards the realization of a body
shape which can easily be engaged for the development of modular mechanisms
employing multiple units. This outer body shape further facilitates
to achieve the stability and portability of the actuator. The soft actuator has
been named \u2018Soft Cubic Module\u2019 based on its external cubic shape. For the
internal actuation cavity design, various shapes, such as spherical, elliptical
and cylindrical, were examined considering their different sizes and orientations
within the cubic module. These internal cavities were simulated in order
to achieve single degree of freedom actuation. That means, only one face
of the cube is principally required to produce effective deformation. \u2018Creo
Perametric 3.0 M 130\u2019 has been used to design the model and to evaluate the
performance of actuation cavities in terms of effective deformation and the
resulting von-mises stress. Out of the simulated profiles, cylindrical cavity
with desired outcomes has been further considered to design the soft actuator.
\u2018Ansys Workbench 17.1 R
\u2019 environment was further used to assess the
performance of cylindrical actuation cavity. Evaluation in two different simulation
environments helped to validate the initially achieved results. The
developed soft cubic actuator was then employed to develop different mechanisms
in a single unit configuration as well as multi-unit robotic system
developments.
This design scheme is considered as the first tool to investigate its capacity
to perform certain given tasks in various configurations. Alongside
its application as a single unit gripper and a two unit bio-mimetic crawling
mechanism, this soft actuator has been employed to realize a four degree
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of freedom robotic mechanism. The formation of this primitive soft robotic
four axis mechanism is being further considered to develop an equivalent
mechanism similar to the well known Stewart platform, with advantages of
compactness, simpler kinematics design, easier control, and lesser cost.
Overall, the accomplished results indicate that the design scheme of Soft
Cubic Module is helpful in realizing a simple and cost-effective soft pneumatic
actuator which is modular and scalable. Another favourable point of
this scheme is the use of a single material with convenient fabrication and
handling
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Towards enduring autonomous robots via embodied energy.
Autonomous robots comprise actuation, energy, sensory and control systems built from materials and structures that are not necessarily designed and integrated for multifunctionality. Yet, animals and other organisms that robots strive to emulate contain highly sophisticated and interconnected systems at all organizational levels, which allow multiple functions to be performed simultaneously. Herein, we examine how system integration and multifunctionality in nature inspires a new paradigm for autonomous robots that we call Embodied Energy. Whereas most untethered robots use batteries to store energy and power their operation, recent advancements in energy-storage techniques enable chemical or electrical energy sources to be embodied directly within the structures and materials used to create robots, rather than requiring separate battery packs. This perspective highlights emerging examples of Embodied Energy in the context of developing autonomous robots
Locomation strategies for amphibious robots-a review
In the past two decades, unmanned amphibious robots have proven the most promising and efficient systems ranging from scientific, military, and commercial applications. The applications like monitoring, surveillance, reconnaissance, and military combat operations require platforms to maneuver on challenging, complex, rugged terrains and diverse environments. The recent technological advancements and development in aquatic robotics and mobile robotics have facilitated a more agile, robust, and efficient amphibious robots maneuvering in multiple environments and various terrain profiles. Amphibious robot
locomotion inspired by nature, such as amphibians, offers augmented flexibility, improved adaptability, and
higher mobility over terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial mediums. In this review, amphibious robots' locomotion
mechanism designed and developed previously are consolidated, systematically The review also analyzes
the literature on amphibious robot highlighting the limitations, open research areas, recent key development
in this research field. Further development and contributions to amphibious robot locomotion, actuation, and
control can be utilized to perform specific missions in sophisticated environments, where tasks are unsafe
or hardly feasible for the divers or traditional aquatic and terrestrial robots
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