Soft Robotics and its Applications

Bakalářská práce se zabývá tématem Soft robotiky a jeho rozdělením do základních kategorií. První část práce je věnována základním informacím o této problematice, inspiracím, historii a institucím, které se touto problematikou zabývají. Následuje rozdělení Soft robotiky do kategorii. Závěr práce se věnuje současnému stavu a dalším oblastem vývoje.Bachelor thesis deals with the topic of Soft robotics its distribution into individual categories. The first part of the thesis is dedicated basic information about this issue, inspirations, history and institutions which are interested in this topic. Next follows the division of Soft robotics into categories. Last part of the thesis is devoted to the current state of Soft robotics and areas of development in this field.354 - Katedra robotikyvýborn

Towards printable robotics: Origami-inspired planar fabrication of three-dimensional mechanisms

This work presents a technique which allows the application of 2-D fabrication methods to build 3-D robotic systems. The ability to print robots introduces a fast and low-cost fabrication method to modern, real-world robotic applications. To this end, we employ laser-engraved origami patterns to build a new class of robotic systems for mobility and manipulation. Origami is suitable for printable robotics as it uses only a flat sheet as the base structure for building complicated functional shapes, which can be utilized as robot bodies. An arbitrarily complex folding pattern can be used to yield an array of functionalities, in the form of actuated hinges or active spring elements. For actuation, we use compact NiTi coil actuators placed on the body to move parts of the structure on-demand. We demonstrate, as a proof-of-concept case study, the end-to-end fabrication and assembly of a simple mobile robot that can undergo worm-like peristaltic locomotion.United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Grant W911NF-08-C-0060)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Grant W911NF-08-1-0228

A variable stiffness soft gripper using granular jamming and biologically inspired pneumatic muscles

As the domains in which robots operate change the objects a robot may be required to grasp and manipulate are likely to vary significantly and often. Furthermore there is increasing likelihood that in the future robots will work collaboratively alongside people. There has therefore been interest in the development of biologically inspired robot designs which take inspiration from nature. This paper presents the design and testing of a variable stiffness, three fingered soft gripper which uses pneumatic muscles to actuate the fingers and granular jamming to vary their stiffness. This gripper is able to adjust its stiffness depending upon how fragile/deformable the object being grasped is. It is also lightweight and low inertia making it better suited to operation near people. Each finger is formed from a cylindrical rubber bladder filled with a granular material. It is shown how decreasing the pressure inside the finger increases the jamming effect and raises finger stiffness. The paper shows experimentally how the finger stiffness can be increased from 21 to 71 N/m. The paper also describes the kinematics of the fingers and demonstrates how they can be position-controlled at a range of different stiffness values

Electro-magneto-hydrodynamic peristaltic pumping of couple stress biofluids through a complex wavy micro-channel

Biomimetic propulsion mechanisms are increasingly being explored in engineering sciences. Peristalsis is one of the most efficient of these mechanisms and offers considerable promise in microscale fluidics. Electrokinetic peristalsis has recently also stimulated significant attention. Electrical and magnetic fields also offer an excellent mode for regulating flows. Motivated by novel applications in electro-conductive microchannel transport systems, the current article investigates analytically the electromagnetic pumping of non-Newtonian aqueous electrolytes via peristaltic waves in a two-dimensional microchannel with different peristaltic waves propagating at the upper and lower channel wall (complex wavy scenario). The Stokes couple stress model is deployed to capture micro-structural characteristics of real working fluids. The unsteady two-dimensional conservation equations for mass and momentum conservation, electro-kinetic and magnetic body forces, are formulated in two-dimensional Cartesian co-ordinates. The transport equations are transformed from the wave frame to the laboratory frame and the electrical field terms rendered into electrical potential terms via the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, Debye length approximation and ionic Nernst Planck equation. The dimensionless emerging linearized electro-magnetic boundary value problem is solved using integral methods. The influence of Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity (characteristic electro-osmotic velocity), couple stress length parameter (measure of the polarity of the fluid), Hartmann magnetic number, and electro-osmotic parameter on axial velocity, volumetric flow rate, time-averaged flow rate and streamline distribution are visualized and interpreted at length

Modeling of Soft Fiber-Reinforced Bending Actuators

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An earthworm-like modular soft robot for locomotion in multi-terrain environments

Robotic locomotion in subterranean environments is still unsolved, and it requires innovative designs and strategies to overcome the challenges of burrowing and moving in unstructured conditions with high pressure and friction at depths of a few centimeters. Inspired by antagonistic muscle contractions and constant volume coelomic chambers observed in earthworms, we designed and developed a modular soft robot based on a peristaltic soft actuator (PSA). The PSA demonstrates two active configurations from a neutral state by switching the input source between positive and negative pressure. PSA generates a longitudinal force for axial penetration and a radial force for anchorage, through bidirectional deformation of the central bellows-like structure, which demonstrates its versatility and ease of control. The performance of PSA depends on the amount and type of fluid confined in an elastomer chamber, generating different forces and displacements. The assembled robot with five PSA modules enabled to perform peristaltic locomotion in different media. The role of friction was also investigated during experimental locomotion tests by attaching passive scales like earthworm setae to the ventral side of the robot. This study proposes a new method for developing a peristaltic earthworm-like soft robot and provides a better understanding of locomotion in different environments