Pneumatic Supply System Parameter Optimization for Soft Actuators

Joshi, Sagar; Paik, Jamie

doi:10.1089/soro.2019.0134

Cited by 43 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The remaining input energy to the system went into reversible expansion of the elastomer and irreversible losses. 150 In general, inflation-based elastomeric actuators for soft robots have a low efficiency, 151,152 and they are not only affected by the reversible expansion of the elastomer but also are influenced by the strain, strain rate, and viscous losses in the flowing gas. 148 Another class of soft actuators-Vacuum-Actuated Muscle-inspired Pneumatic structures-which use deflation rather than inflation and operate at low strain levels, achieves a relatively higher efficiency of *27%.…”

Section: Energy Consumption and Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective

et al. 2021

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The ocean and human activities related to the sea are under increasing pressure due to climate change, widespread pollution, and growth of the offshore energy sector. Data, in under-sampled regions of the ocean and in the offshore patches where the industrial expansion is taking place, are fundamental to manage successfully a sustainable development and to mitigate climate change. Existing technology cannot cope with the vast and harsh environments that need monitoring and sampling the most. The limiting factors are, among others, the spatial scales of the physical domain, the high pressure, and the strong hydrodynamic perturbations, which require vehicles with a combination of persistent autonomy, augmented efficiency, extreme robustness, and advanced control. In light of the most recent developments in soft robotics technologies, we propose that the use of soft robots may aid in addressing the challenges posed by abyssal and wave-dominated environments. Nevertheless, soft robots also allow for fast and low-cost manufacturing, presenting a new potential problem: marine pollution from ubiquitous soft sampling devices. In this study, the technological and scientific gaps are widely discussed, as they represent the driving factors for the development of soft robotics. Offshore industry supports increasing energy demand and the employment of robots on marine assets is growing. Such expansion needs to be sustained by the knowledge of the oceanic environment, where large remote areas are yet to be explored and adequately sampled. We offer our perspective on the development of sustainable soft systems, indicating the characteristics of the existing soft robots that promote underwater maneuverability, locomotion, and sampling. This perspective encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the design of aquatic soft robots and invites a discussion about the industrial and oceanographic needs that call for their application.

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Section: Energy Consumption and Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective

et al. 2021

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“…The results are similar to previously reported pneumatic actuators’ response time ( Gorissen et al, 2018 ) and are not limited toward the development of endoscopic tools, the surgical motion frequency being generally comprised below 2 Hz ( Hu et al, 2006 ). However, toward the development of integrated systems, the pressure supply and pressure leads will be predominant in determining the response time of the system ( Joshi and Paik, 2020 ).…”

Section: Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Soft Pneumatic Two-Degree-of-Freedom Actuator for Endoscopy

2021

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The rise of soft robotics opens new opportunities in endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. Pneumatic catheters offer a promising alternative to conventional steerable catheters for safe navigation through the natural pathways without tissue injury. In this work, we present an optimized 6 mm diameter two-degree-of-freedom pneumatic actuator, able to bend in every direction and incorporating a 1 mm working channel. A versatile vacuum centrifugal overmolding method capable of producing small geometries with a variety of silicones is described, and meter-long actuators are extruded industrially. An improved method for fiber reinforcement is also presented. The actuator achieves bending more than 180° and curvatures of up to 0.1 mm−1. The exerted force remains below 100 mN, and with no rigid parts in the design, it limits the risks of damage on surrounding tissues. The response time of the actuator is below 300 ms and therefore not limited for medical applications. The working space and multi-channel actuation are also experimentally characterized. The focus is on the study of the influence of material stiffness on mechanical performances. As a rule, the softer the material, the better the energy conversion, and the stiffer the material, the larger the force developed at a given curvature. Based on the actuator, a 90 cm long steerable catheter demonstrator carrying an optical fiber is developed, and its potential for endoscopy is demonstrated in a bronchial tree phantom. In conclusion, this work contributes to the development of a toolbox of soft robotic solutions for MIS and endoscopic applications, by validating and characterizing a promising design, describing versatile and scalable fabrication methods, allowing for a better understanding of the influence of material stiffness on the actuator capabilities, and demonstrating the usability of the solution in a potential use-case.

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“…Actuation time can be faster than 0.1 s [18], limited by the viscoelasticity of the material [135], the fluid dynamics of the pressure leads [18], and the pressure source. Joshi and Paik [136] presented a parameter optimisation for pneumatic supply systems [136]. The response time can also be improved using the release of the elastic energy stored by the elastomeric chamber to reach a recovery actuation time of around 50 ms [10].…”

Section: Soft Isotropic Transducersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Programmable Stimuli-Responsive Actuators for Complex Motions in Soft Robotics: Concept, Design and Challenges

et al. 2020

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During the last years, great progress was made in material science in terms of concept, design and fabrication of new composite materials with conferred properties and desired functionalities. The scientific community paid particular interest to active soft materials, such as soft actuators, for their potential as transducers responding to various stimuli aiming to produce mechanical work. Inspired by this, materials engineers today are developing multidisciplinary approaches to produce new active matters, focusing on the kinematics allowed by the material itself more than on the possibilities offered by its design. Traditionally, more complex motions beyond pure elongation and bending are addressed by the robotics community. The present review targets encompassing and rationalizing a framework which will help a wider scientific audience to understand, sort and design future soft actuators and methods enabling complex motions. Special attention is devoted to recent progress in developing innovative stimulus-responsive materials and approaches for complex motion programming for soft robotics. In this context, a challenging overview of the new materials as well as their classification and comparison (performances and characteristics) are proposed. In addition, the great potential of soft transducers are outlined in terms of kinematic capabilities, illustrated by the related application. Guidelines are provided to design actuators and to integrate asymmetry enabling motions along any of the six basic degrees of freedom (translations and rotations), and strategies towards the programming of more complex motions are discussed. As a final note, a series of manufacturing methods are described and compared, from molding to 3D and 4D printing. The review ends with a Perspectives section, from material science and microrobotic points of view, on the soft materials’ future and close future challenges to be overcome.

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Pneumatic Supply System Parameter Optimization for Soft Actuators

Cited by 43 publications

References 52 publications

Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective

Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective

A Soft Pneumatic Two-Degree-of-Freedom Actuator for Endoscopy

Programmable Stimuli-Responsive Actuators for Complex Motions in Soft Robotics: Concept, Design and Challenges

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