In this paper, we present a gecko-inspired soft robot that is able to climb inclined, flat surfaces. By changing the design of the previous version, the energy consumption of the robot could be reduced, and at the same time, its ability to climb and its speed of movement could be increased. As a result, the new prototype consumes only about a third of the energy of the previous version and manages to climb slopes of up to 84 •. In the horizontal plane, its velocity could be increased from 2 to 6 cm/s. We also provide a detailed analysis of the robot's straight gait.

The design and construction of a soft robot are challenging tasks on their own. When the robot is supposed to operate without a tether, it becomes even more demanding. While a tethered operation is sufficient for a stationary use, it is impractical for wearable robots or performing tasks that demand a high mobility. Choosing and implementing an on-board pneumatic pressure source are particularly complex tasks. There are several different pressure generation methods to choose from, each with very different properties and ways of implementation. This review paper is written with the intention of informing about all pressure generation methods available in the field of soft robotics and providing an overview of the abilities and properties of each method. Nine different methods are described regarding their working principle, pressure generation behavior, energetic considerations, safety aspects, and suitability for soft robotics applications. All presented methods are evaluated in the most important categories for soft robotics pressure sources and compared to each other qualitatively and quantitatively as far as possible. The aim of the results presented is to simplify the choice of a suitable pressure generation method when designing an on-board pressure source for a soft robot.

No abstract

Soft robotics is an emerging field in the robotics community which deals with completely new types of robots. However, often new soft robotic designs depend on the ingenuity of the engineer rather being systematically derived. For this reason, in order to support the engineer in the design process, we present a design methodology for general technical systems in this paper and explain it in depth in the context of soft robotics. The design methodology consists of a combination of state-of-the-art engineering concepts that are arranged in such a way that the engineer is guided through the design process. The effectiveness of a systematic approach in soft robotics is illustrated on the design of a new gecko-inspired, climbing soft robot.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40638-018-0088-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Typically, soft robots that are driven with compressed air consist of two parts which are bonded together, a top and a strain‐limiting bottom part. This communication describes the possibility to simplify the manufacturing process by using textile semi‐finished products preimpregnated with liquid elastomer (prepregs) as the strain‐limiting part, which can be stored at low temperatures with significant slower cross‐linking reaction. For this, in long‐term tests, three typical elastomers (Elastosil M 4601, Ecoflex 00–30, and Sylgard 184) are stored at −25 °C, and in a weekly cycle over 12 weeks, the viscosity is measured to determine the curing characteristics. It turns out that Elastosil M 4601 and Sylgard 184 are suitable for this application. For comparison, short‐term viscosity measurements are conducted at room temperature in a 10 min cycle. The impregnability of several textiles (polyester/cotton blended fabric, nylon fabric, fleece, and flax fabric) is tested with the suitable elastomers. The applicability of prepregs for soft robotic applications is demonstrated by manufacturing soft bending actuators with various textile‐elastomer combinations.