Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:25:05.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Trunk-like Soft Actuator: Design, Modeling, and Experiments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2019

Guanjun Bao*
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Lingfeng Chen
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Yaqi Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Shibo Cai
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Fang Xu
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Qinghua Yang
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Libin Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Summary

In recent years, soft robotics is widely considered as the most promising field for both research and application. First of all, the actuator is fundamental for designing, modeling, and controlling of soft robots. This paper presents a new type of pneumatic trunk-like soft actuator, which contains a chamber for stiffness adjustment in addition to three chambers for driving. Thus, the salient feature of the proposed actuator is the ability of stiffness self-regulation. The structure of the proposed actuator is described in detail. Then the theoretical models for elongation and bending motion of the actuator are established. The elongation as well as single-chamber and multi-chamber driving bending of the actuator were tested to verify the mathematical models. Finally, a dual-segment soft robot based on the proposed trunk-like soft actuator was developed and tested by experiments, which implies its potential application in practice.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Guanjun, B., Pengfei, Y., Zonggui, X., Kun, L., Libin, Z. and Qinghua, Y., “Pneumatic bio-soft robot module: Structure, elongation and experiment,” Int. J. Agric. Biol. Eng. 10 (2), 114122 (2017).Google Scholar
Gorissen, B., Donose, R., Reynaerts, D. and Volder, M. D., “Flexible pneumatic micro-actuators: Analysis and production,” Procedia Eng. 25, 681684 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holland, D. P., Abah, C., Velasco-Enriquez, M., Herman, M., Bennett, G. J. and Vela, E. A., “The Soft Robotics Toolkit: Strategies for overcoming obstacles to the wide dissemination of soft-robotic hardware,” IEEE Robot. Autom. Mag. 24 (1), 5764 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzumori, K., Endo, S., Kanda, T., Kato, N. and Suzuki, H., “A Bending Pneumatic Rubber Actuator Realizing Soft-bodied Manta Swimming Robot,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Rome, Italy (2007) pp. 49754980.Google Scholar
Al-Ibadi, A., Nefti-Meziani, S. and Davis, S., “Valuable Experimental Model of Contraction Pneumatic Muscle Actuator,” 21st International Conference on Methods and Models in Automation and Robotics (MMAR), Miedzyzdroje, Poland (2016).Google Scholar
Guanjun, B., Tiefeng, S., Shanghui, L., Zhiheng, W. and Qinghua, Y., “Static model of flexible pneumatic swaying joint,” Trans. Chin. Soc. Agric. Mach. 42 (6), 198202 (2011).Google Scholar
Suzumori, K., Iikura, S. and Tanaka, H., “Flexible Microactuator for Miniature Robots,” Proceedings of the IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Conference, Nara, Japan (1991) pp. 204209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, R. V., Branch, J. L., Fish, C. R., Jin, L., Shepherd, R. F. and Nunes, R. M. D., “Robotic tentacles with three-dimensional mobility based on flexible elastomers,” Adv. Mater. 25 (2), 205212 (2013).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Al Abeach, L. A. T., Nefti-Meziani, S. and Davis, S., “Design of a variable stiffness soft dexterous gripper,” Soft Robot. 4 (3), 274284 (2017).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suzumori, K., Iikura, S. and Tanaka, H., “Development of Flexible Microactuator and its Applications to Robotic Mechanisms,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Sacramento, California, vol. 2 (1991) pp. 1622–1627.Google Scholar
Martinez, R. V., Fish, C. R., Chen, X. and Whitesides, G. M., “Elastomeric origami: Programmable paperelastomer composites as pneumatic actuators,” Adv. Funct. Mater. 22 (7), 13761384 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, M. A., Sadeghi, H., Florez, J. M. and Paik, J., “Soft pneumatic actuator fascicles for high force and reliability,” Soft Robot. 4 (1), 2332 (2017).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jiang, H., Liu, X., Chen, X., Wang, Z. and Jin, Y., “Design and Simulation Analysis of a Soft Manipulator Based on Honeycomb Pneumatic Networks,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, Qingdao, China (2017) pp. 350356.Google Scholar
Jusufi, A., Vogt, D., Wood, R. and Lauder, G., “Undulatory swimming performance and body stiffness modulation in a soft robotic fish-inspired physical model,” Soft Robot. 4 (3), 202210 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fu, X., Fang, M. and Li, B., “Theoretic analysis of stiffness characteristics of the pneumatic muscle actuator,” Mach. Tool Hydraul. 35 (2), 109111 (2007).Google Scholar
Binrui, W., Weiyi, Z. and Hong, X., “Static actuating characteristics of intelligent pneumatic muscle,” Trans. Chin. Soc. Agric. Mach. 40 (3), 208212 (2009).Google Scholar
Tonietti, G. and Bicchi, A., “Adaptive Simultaneous Position and Stiffness Control for a Soft Robot Arm,” Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Lausanne, Switzerland (2002) pp. 19921997.Google Scholar
Held, D., Yekutieli, Y. and Flash, T., “Characterizing the Stiffness of a Multi-Segment Flexible Arm During Motion,” Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (2012) pp. 38253832.Google Scholar
Jiang, A., Secco, E., Wurdemann, H., Nanayakkara, T. and Althoefer, K., “Stiffness-Controllable Octopus-like Robot Arm forMinimally Invasive Surgery,” 3rd Joint Workshop on New Technologies for Computer/Robot Assisted Surgery, Verona, Italy (2013).Google Scholar
Laschi, C., Mazzolai, B., Mattoli, V., Cianchetti, M. and Dario, P., “Design of a biomimetic robotic octopus arm,” Bioinspir. Biomim. 4 (1), 015006 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraś, J., Czarnowski, J., Maciaś, M., Główka, J., Cianchetti, M. and Menciassi, A.,“New STIFF-FLOP Module Construction Idea for Improved Actuation and Sensing,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Seattle, WA, USA (2015) pp. 29012906.Google Scholar
Brown, E. and Meiron, D., “Universal robotic gripper based on the jamming of granular material,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 107 (44), 18809 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y., Chen, Y. and Wei, Y., “Passive particle jamming and its stiffening of soft robotic grippers,” IEEE Trans. Robot. 33 (2), 446455 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amend, J., Cheng, N., Fakhouri, S. and Culley, B., “Soft robotics commercialization: Jamming grippers from research to product,” Soft Robot. 3 (4), 213222 (2016).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, R. V., Branch, J. L., Fish, C. R., Jin, L., Shepherd, R. F. and Nunes, R. M. D., “Robotic tentacles with three-dimensional mobility based on flexible elastomers,” Adv. Mater. 25 (2), 205212 (2013).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caldwell, D. G., Medrano-Cerda, G. A. and Goodwin, M. J., “Braided Pneumatic Actuator Control of a Multi-Jointed Manipulator,” International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Le Touquet, France, vol. 1 (1993) pp. 423428.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarvainen, T. V. J. and Yu, W., “Preliminary Results on Multi-Pocket Pneumatic Elastomer Actuators for Human–Robot Interface in Hand Rehabilitation,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, Zhuhai, China (2015) pp. 26352639.Google Scholar
Deimel, R. and Brock, O., “A Compliant Hand Based on a Novel Pneumatic Actuator,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Karlsruhe, Germany (2013) pp. 20472053.Google Scholar
Webster, R. J. III and Jones, B. A., “Design and kinematic modeling of constant curvature continuum robots: A review,” Int. J. Robot. Res. 29 (13), 16611683 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakajima, K., Hauser, H., Kang, R., Guglielmino, E., Caldwell, D. G. and Pfeifer, R., “A soft body as a reservoir: case studies in a dynamic model of octopus-inspired soft robotic arm,” Front. Comput. Neurosci. 7 (28), 91 (2013).Google Scholar
Zheng, T. J., Branson, D. T., Guglielmino, E., Kang, R. and Gustavo, A., “Model validation of an octopus inspired continuum robotic arm for use in underwater environments,” J. Mech. Robot. 5 (2), 021004 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, R., Branson, D. T., Zheng, T. J., Guglielmino, E. and Caldwell, D. G., “Design, modeling and control of a pneumatically actuated manipulator inspired by biological continuum structures,” Bioinspir. Biomim. 8 (3), 036008 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar