Hybrid Soft Robots Incorporating Soft and Stiff Elements

Arachchige, Dimuthu D. K.; Godage, Isuru S.

doi:10.1109/robosoft54090.2022.9762183

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The direct modulation of stiffness proves to be an effective approach to adjusting the soft robot stiffness for different operation conditions. Numerous researchers explored stiffness sensing and control for soft robots [134,[201][202][203][204]. Accordingly, the following subsections will discuss stiffness sensing and control in terms of fluidic stiffness control, pneumatic stiffness control, magnetic stiffness control, and thermal stiffness control.…”

Section: Advancementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Robot Design, Manufacturing, and Operation Challenges: A Review

Ambaye,

Boldsaikhan,

Krishnan

2024

JMMP

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Advancements in smart manufacturing have embraced the adoption of soft robots for improved productivity, flexibility, and automation as well as safety in smart factories. Hence, soft robotics is seeing a significant surge in popularity by garnering considerable attention from researchers and practitioners. Bionic soft robots, which are composed of compliant materials like silicones, offer compelling solutions to manipulating delicate objects, operating in unstructured environments, and facilitating safe human–robot interactions. However, despite their numerous advantages, there are some fundamental challenges to overcome, which particularly concern motion precision and stiffness compliance in performing physical tasks that involve external forces. In this regard, enhancing the operation performance of soft robots necessitates intricate, complex structural designs, compliant multifunctional materials, and proper manufacturing methods. The objective of this literature review is to chronicle a comprehensive overview of soft robot design, manufacturing, and operation challenges in conjunction with recent advancements and future research directions for addressing these technical challenges.

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Section: Advancementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Robot Design, Manufacturing, and Operation Challenges: A Review

Ambaye,

Boldsaikhan,

Krishnan

2024

JMMP

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“…Experimental results showcased its ability to handle sizeable objects, such as a cup with a 250 mm diameter. Taking cues from monkeys that use their tails to hold onto branches, a hybrid soft robot gripper with three fingers actuated by pneumatic muscles was developed, as described in [ 203 ]. In a different approach, a spiral robot arm proposed in [ 204 ] employed a chain of multiple elements interconnected by an elastic backbone and actuated using a mutual-cable system.…”

Section: Animal-inspired Grippersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspiration and Biomimetic Art in Robotic Grippers

Nguyen,

Dhyan,

Mai

et al. 2023

Micromachines

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The autonomous manipulation of objects by robotic grippers has made significant strides in enhancing both human daily life and various industries. Within a brief span, a multitude of research endeavours and gripper designs have emerged, drawing inspiration primarily from biological mechanisms. It is within this context that our study takes centre stage, with the aim of conducting a meticulous review of bioinspired grippers. This exploration involved a nuanced classification framework encompassing a range of parameters, including operating principles, material compositions, actuation methods, design intricacies, fabrication techniques, and the multifaceted applications into which these grippers seamlessly integrate. Our comprehensive investigation unveiled gripper designs that brim with a depth of intricacy, rendering them indispensable across a spectrum of real-world scenarios. These bioinspired grippers with a predominant emphasis on animal-inspired solutions have become pivotal tools that not only mirror nature’s genius but also significantly enrich various domains through their versatility.

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“…The rigid backbone, made of a commercially available cable carrier with a protective outer shell, constrains the length of the soft module, resulting in antagonistic operation of the PMAs that facilitates finer stiffness control over a wider range [22]. The soft module has an effective length, diameter, and weight of 240 mm, 40 mm, and 0.15 kg, respectively [19]. Four of these soft modules are connected via a 3D-printed tetrahedral joint to form the tetrahedral robot, which has a total of 12 actuated degrees of freedom (DoF) and weighs 0.65 kg without the pneumatic pressure supply tubes.…”

Section: Prototype Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, one DoF out of the three actuated DoF is kinematically redundant due to the backbone constraint, which is utilized to achieve independent stiffness and shape control [21]. The relationship between the joint and configuration space variables is given by (1), and the inverse relationship is given by (2) [19], [23].…”

Section: A Kinematics Modeling Of Soft Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the lack of proportional control in the limb actuators restricted the robot to a limited number of basic gaits, and its stability and robustness during locomotion were not thoroughly investigated. We present a novel tetrahedral soft robot with multiple gaits, achieved by using soft continuum modules that combine soft and rigid components to balance structural strength, compliance, and stiffness control [19]. The modular design provides interchangeability, reliability, and robustness that are crucial for terrestrial robots subject to wear and potential damage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Teleoperation of Soft Modular Robots: Study on Real-time Stability and Gait Control

Perera¹,

Arachchige²,

Mallikarachchi³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Soft robotics holds tremendous potential for various applications, especially in unstructured environments such as search and rescue operations. However, the lack of autonomy and teleoperability, limited capabilities, absence of gait diversity and real-time control, and onboard sensors to sense the surroundings are some of the common issues with soft-limbed robots. To overcome these limitations, we propose a spatially symmetric, topologically-stable, soft-limbed tetrahedral robot that can perform multiple locomotion gaits. We introduce a kinematic model, derive locomotion trajectories for different gaits, and design a teleoperation mechanism to enable realtime human-robot collaboration. We use the kinematic model to map teleoperation inputs and ensure smooth transitions between gaits. Additionally, we leverage the passive compliance and natural stability of the robot for toppling and obstacle navigation. Through experimental tests, we demonstrate the robot's ability to tackle various locomotion challenges, adapt to different situations, and navigate obstructed environments via teleoperation.

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Hybrid Soft Robots Incorporating Soft and Stiff Elements

Cited by 17 publications

References 21 publications

Soft Robot Design, Manufacturing, and Operation Challenges: A Review

Soft Robot Design, Manufacturing, and Operation Challenges: A Review

Bioinspiration and Biomimetic Art in Robotic Grippers

Teleoperation of Soft Modular Robots: Study on Real-time Stability and Gait Control

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