Experiment and Theoretical Analysis Study of ETFE Inflatable Tubes

He, Yanli; Chen, Wujun

doi:10.1155/2014/925428

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Unlike the pneumatic artificial muscles described in the previous section, actuation using tendons is not inherently strain limited, so tendons can achieve much more dramatic steering. However, the decrease in local stiffness that comes after the onset of local wrinkling of the robot body material (He and Chen, 2014 ), in addition to the friction that exists in the tendons, means bending due to tendon actuation will concentrate in a single location. This type of actuation was used in Stroppa et al ( 2020 ) to create an approximation of a spherical joint at the base of a growing robot manipulator.…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design, Modeling, Control, and Application of Everting Vine Robots

et al. 2020

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In nature, tip-localized growth allows navigation in tightly confined environments and creation of structures. Recently, this form of movement has been artificially realized through pressure-driven eversion of flexible, thin-walled tubes. Here we review recent work on robots that “grow” via pressure-driven eversion, referred to as “everting vine robots,” due to a movement pattern that is similar to that of natural vines. We break this work into four categories. First, we examine the design of everting vine robots, highlighting tradeoffs in material selection, actuation methods, and placement of sensors and tools. These tradeoffs have led to application-specific implementations. Second, we describe the state of and need for modeling everting vine robots. Quasi-static models of growth and retraction and kinematic and force-balance models of steering and environment interaction have been developed that use simplifying assumptions and limit the involved degrees of freedom. Third, we report on everting vine robot control and planning techniques that have been developed to move the robot tip to a target, using a variety of modalities to provide reference inputs to the robot. Fourth, we highlight the benefits and challenges of using this paradigm of movement for various applications. Everting vine robot applications to date include deploying and reconfiguring structures, navigating confined spaces, and applying forces on the environment. We conclude by identifying gaps in the state of the art and discussing opportunities for future research to advance everting vine robots and their usefulness in the field.

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Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design, Modeling, Control, and Application of Everting Vine Robots

et al. 2020

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“…This behavior is like a mechanical fuse: During normal operation, the structure is relatively stiff, allowing functionality; yet, beyond some threshold force, it buckles, limiting damage to itself or the environment. The exact level of the threshold force could be tuned via control of the robot configuration, leveraging existing work on the mechanics of inflated beams (47)(48)(49). Because of its relatively high stiffness before buckling, the robot can carry heavy loads without substantial deformation.…”

Section: D Octahedron Robot: Compliant Behavior and Manipulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An untethered isoperimetric soft robot

et al. 2020

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For robots to be useful for real-world applications, they must be safe around humans, be adaptable to their environment, and operate in an untethered manner. Soft robots could potentially meet these requirements; however, existing soft robotic architectures are limited by their ability to scale to human sizes and operate at these scales without a tether to transmit power or pressurized air from an external source. Here, we report an untethered, inflated robotic truss, composed of thin-walled inflatable tubes, capable of shape change by continuously relocating its joints, while its total edge length remains constant. Specifically, a set of identical roller modules each pinch the tube to create an effective joint that separates two edges, and modules can be connected to form complex structures. Driving a roller module along a tube changes the overall shape, lengthening one edge and shortening another, while the total edge length and hence fluid volume remain constant. This isoperimetric behavior allows the robot to operate without compressing air or requiring a tether. Our concept brings together advantages from three distinct types of robots—soft, collective, and truss-based—while overcoming certain limitations of each. Our robots are robust and safe, like soft robots, but not limited by a tether; are modular, like collective robots, but not limited by complex subunits; and are shape-changing, like truss robots, but not limited by rigid linear actuators. We demonstrate two-dimensional (2D) robots capable of shape change and a human-scale 3D robot capable of punctuated rolling locomotion and manipulation, all constructed with the same modular rollers and operating without a tether.

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Experimental study on the interaction between inner air and enveloping membrane of inflated membrane tubes

Law

Yang

et al. 2020

Engineering Structures

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Experiment and Theoretical Analysis Study of ETFE Inflatable Tubes

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

Design, Modeling, Control, and Application of Everting Vine Robots

Design, Modeling, Control, and Application of Everting Vine Robots

An untethered isoperimetric soft robot

Experimental study on the interaction between inner air and enveloping membrane of inflated membrane tubes

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