Design and Characterization of a 3D Printed Soft Pneumatic Actuator

In soft robotics, the successful development of soft robots involves careful designing that can benefit from current technologies. The use of Finite Element Method (FEM) software and additive manufacturing is essential to optimize the design before fabrication and to facilitate the process. Therefore, we present the design of a 3D printed low-pressure soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) with 3 DoF and a material characterization method to simulate the behaviour of the system. In attempt to define a suitable material modelling method and its reliability to simulate actuator behaviours, we introduce a characterization method and corroborate its efficiency through the evaluation of the performance using the FEM and preliminary tests of the actuator performance. The purpose of this article is to help future projects to effectively simulate the behaviour of 3D printed soft pneumatic actuators to improve the design before fabrication. Throughout the description of the process to effectively fabricate a functional SPA

Soft Robotics: A Route to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Robotics

: Robotics is entering our daily lives. The discipline is increasingly crucial in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and rescue operations, impacting our food, health, and planet. At the same time, it is becoming evident that robotic research must embrace and reflect the diversity of human society to address these broad challenges effectively. In recent years, gender inclusivity has received increasing attention, but it still remains a distant goal. In addition, awareness is rising around other dimensions of diversity, including nationality, religion, and politics. Unfortunately, despite the efforts, empirical evidence shows that the field has still a long way to go before achieving a sufficient level of equality, diversity, and inclusion across these spectra. This study focuses on the soft robotics community-a growing and relatively recent subfield-and it outlines the present state of equality and diversity panorama in this discipline. The article argues that its high interdisciplinary and accessibility make it a particularly welcoming branch of robotics. We discuss the elements that make this subdiscipline an example for the broader robotic field. At the same time, we recognize that the field should still improve in several ways and become more inclusive and diverse. We propose concrete actions that we believe will contribute to achieving this goal, and provide metrics to monitor its evolution

Exploring the Deep Sea: Combining a Bistable Mechanism with Origami-Inspired Soft Actuators

Sediment sampling is a prevalent approach for ex- ploring and understanding the ocean and its change over time. Unfortunately, the sampling process can be very costly due to the logistics that involve the transportation and deployment of the Remotely Operative Vehicle (ROV), specifically designed for this task. In a collaboration of marine scientists and engineers, this work focuses on developing a lightweight, modular and cost efficient actuation system for deep-sea suction-sampling. We propose a binary actuation system to manipulate the sampling tube directly instead of the tube being guided by a traditional manipulator. The core of the actuation system are bistable actuators that combine origami-inspired soft actuators with a bistable mechanism to form a lightweight but still robust system. This concept aims to lower the cost of deep-sea sediment sampling by offering the option to replace the currently used hydraulic titanium manipulator, that is traditionally used for deep-sea research. We present the design, manufacturing and proof of concept for the combination of a origami-inspired soft actuator with a bistable mechanism

Hard Shell, Soft Core: Binary Actuators for Deep-Sea Applications

Deep-sea research represents invaluable opportunities to unravel hidden ecosystems, uncover unknown biodiversity, and provide critical insights into the Earth's history and the impacts of climate change. Due to the extreme conditions, exploring the deep-sea traditionally requires costly equipment, such as specific diving robots, engineered to withstand the high pressure. Our research aims to reduce the costs of deep-sea sediment sampling by introducing a novel actuation system for suction samplers, that capitalises the advantages of soft material actuators. At first glance, soft material actuators may not appear suitable for the harsh conditions that prevail in the deep-sea, but when combined with a rigid, bistable mechanism there is great potential for improving the accessibility of sampling and research in this challenging environment. The binary actuation system that results from this combination, is modular, scalable, lightweight, and low cost in comparison to existing solutions