365 research outputs found
Design and manufacture of edible microfluidic logic gates
Edible robotics is an emerging research field with potential use in
environmental, food, and medical scenarios. In this context, the design of
edible control circuits could increase the behavioral complexity of edible
robots and reduce their dependence on inedible components. Here we describe a
method to design and manufacture edible control circuits based on microfluidic
logic gates. We focus on the choice of materials and fabrication procedure to
produce edible logic gates based on recently available soft microfluidic logic.
We validate the proposed design with the production of a functional NOT gate
and suggest further research avenues for scaling up the method to more complex
circuits.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Pouch Motors: Printable Soft Actuators Integrated with Computational Design
We propose pouch motors, a new family of printable soft actuators integrated with computational design. The pouch motor consists of one or more inflatable gas-tight bladders made of sheet materials. This printable actuator is designed and fabricated in a planar fashion. It allows both easy prototyping and mass fabrication of affordable robotic systems. We provide theoretical models of the actuators compared with the experimental data. The measured maximum stroke and tension of the linear pouch motor are up to 28% and 100 N, respectively. The measured maximum range of motion and torque of the angular pouch motor are up to 80° and 0.2 N, respectively. We also develop an algorithm that automatically generates the patterns of the pouches and their fluidic channels. A custom-built fabrication machine streamlines the automated process from design to fabrication. We demonstrate a computer-generated life-sized hand that can hold a foam ball and perform gestures with 12 pouch motors, which can be fabricated in 15 min.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1240383)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1138967)United States. Department of Defens
mHealth-Based Microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip for International Health Security
The increasing threats of emerging and reemerging infectious disease outbreaks demand research and development (R&D) of effective and fit-for-all-purpose tools and technologies for international public health security. Recent advances in biomedical engineering, mostly related to the convergence of communication and network technology in health, i.e., mobile health with microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip technology can improve the international public health crises and employ in international public health security. Lab-on-a-Chip technology is now commonly found in most research centers, hospitals, and clinics where health care infrastructure is weak, and access to quality and timely medical care is challenging. Microfluidic devices—also known as Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC)—are an alternative for accessible, cost-effective, and early detection medical trials. The mHealth-based microfluidic LoC technology has been under rapid development, and they are becoming influential tools in a wide range of biomedical research and international public health applications. The perspective in this chapter demonstrates a potentially transformative opportunity for the deployment of mHealth with LoC with the fabrication protocols and their potential for strengthening and improving the international public health security. This attempt is not conclusive and exhaustive, and it is anticipated that such a discussion will enable the exchange of ideas between biomedical engineering, microfluidic LoC technology professionals, international public health, and health security experts
A comparison of processing techniques for producing prototype injection moulding inserts.
This project involves the investigation of processing techniques for producing low-cost moulding inserts used in the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. Prototype moulds were made from both additive and subtractive processes as well as a combination of the two. The general motivation for this was to reduce the entry cost of users when considering PIM.
PIM cavity inserts were first made by conventional machining from a polymer block using the pocket NC desktop mill. PIM cavity inserts were also made by fused filament deposition modelling using the Tiertime UP plus 3D printer.
The injection moulding trials manifested in surface finish and part removal defects. The feedstock was a titanium metal blend which is brittle in comparison to commodity polymers. That in combination with the mesoscale features, small cross-sections and complex geometries were considered the main problems. For both processing methods, fixes were identified and made to test the theory. These consisted of a blended approach that saw a combination of both the additive and subtractive processes being used.
The parts produced from the three processing methods are investigated and their respective merits and issues are
discussed
Control-based 4D printing: adaptive 4D-printed systems
Building on the recent progress of four-dimensional (4D) printing to produce dynamic structures, this study aimed to bring this technology to the next level by introducing control-based 4D printing to develop adaptive 4D-printed systems with highly versatile multi-disciplinary applications, including medicine, in the form of assisted soft robots, smart textiles as wearable electronics and other industries such as agriculture and microfluidics. This study introduced and analysed adaptive 4D-printed systems with an advanced manufacturing approach for developing stimuli-responsive constructs that organically adapted to environmental dynamic situations and uncertainties as nature does. The adaptive 4D-printed systems incorporated synergic integration of three-dimensional (3D)-printed sensors into 4D-printing and control units, which could be assembled and programmed to transform their shapes based on the assigned tasks and environmental stimuli. This paper demonstrates the adaptivity of these systems via a combination of proprioceptive sensory feedback, modeling and controllers, as well as the challenges and future opportunities they present
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
viii
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
ix
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
- …