Customizing a self-healing soft pump for robot

Abstract

Recent advances in soft materials enable robots to possess safer human-machine interaction ways and adaptive motions, yet there remain substantial challenges to develop universal driving power sources that can achieve performance trade-offs between actuation, speed, portability, and reliability in untethered applications. Here, we introduce a class of fully soft electronic pumps that utilize electrical energy to pump liquid through electrons and ions migration mechanism. Soft pumps combine good portability with excellent actuation performances. We develop special functional liquids that merge unique properties of electrically actuation and self-healing function, providing a direction for self-healing fluid power systems. Appearances and pumpabilities of soft pumps could be customized to meet personalized needs of diverse robots. Combined with a homemade miniature high-voltage power converter, two different soft pumps are implanted into robotic fish and vehicle to achieve their untethered motions, illustrating broad potential of soft pumps as universal power sources in untethered soft robotics.

Self-contained soft electrofluidic actuators

“…It is also worth noting that (fig. S11E) two independent high-voltage outputs in the HVPC ( 19 ) can be controlled by a mobile phone through the integrated Wi-Fi module, thereby realizing the independent remote control of two SEFAs to achieve multiple motion modes of a soft bionic ray, including swimming, turning, and spinning (fig. S11D and movie S9).…”

“…The flexible pouch of SEFA was made of silicone A-5 membranes (PS6650-5du and translucency, China Shenzhen Yipin Trading Co. Ltd.), a PDMS BD-KYN membrane (BD Film KYN-300, China Hangzhou Bald Advanced Materials Co. Ltd.), or both of them. Three sets of uniaxial tensile tests were conducted at an ASTM D638 (Type IV) universal test machine with a crosshead speed of 50 mm/min ( 19 ) to evaluate deformation capacities of the silicone A-5 and PDMS BD-KYN membranes (fig. S2).…”

“…The DC HVPC adopted a conventional topology that consisted of a pulse oscillating circuit, an inverter circuit, a high-frequency transformer, and a voltage-doubling rectifying circuit (fig. S10A) ( 19 , 44 – 45 ). Two AC outputs were realized by a Wi-Fi module connecting with two DC HVPCs ( 19 ) and realized two independent outputs through the control of a mobile phone.…”

“…S10A) ( 19 , 44 – 45 ). Two AC outputs were realized by a Wi-Fi module connecting with two DC HVPCs ( 19 ) and realized two independent outputs through the control of a mobile phone. A high-voltage probe (P6015, Trek) and an oscilloscope (InfiniiVision 2000 X-Series, Keysight) were used to test the output of the HVPCs ( 19 ), and the results are shown in fig.…”

“…Among these, traditional soft fluidic (pneumatic or hydraulic) actuators ( 6 , 15 ) are most prevalent because of their simple and versatile designs. Nevertheless, the requirement of external bulky, rigid compressors or pumps for supplying for pressurized fluids limits their portability ( 17 – 19 ). Besides, many portable soft actuators ( 9 – 10 , 13 – 14 ) driven by external stimulus, such as thermal energy, magnetism, humidity, and light, have also been developed.…”