Robotic surfaces with reversible, spatiotemporal control for shape morphing and object manipulation
Robotic surfaces with reversible, spatiotemporal control for shape morphing and object manipulation
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DOI：
10.1126/scirobotics.abf5116
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发表时间：
2021-04-07
期刊：
影响因子：
25
通讯作者：
Daraio, Chiara
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Liu, Ke;Hacker, Felix;Daraio, Chiara
连续和受控的形状变形对于软机器在与周围环境安全交互的同时符合、抓握和移动是必不可少的。形状变形可以用二维（2D）片来实现，所述二维（2D）片例如使用刺激响应材料重新配置成目标3D几何形状。然而，大多数现有的解决方案缺乏重新编程其形状的能力，面临可实现的几何形状的限制，或者没有足够的机械刚度来操纵对象。在这里，我们开发了一个柔软的机器人表面，允许大型，可重新编程和柔韧的形状变形为光滑的3D几何形状。机器人表面由分层设计组成，由两个充当人工肌肉的主动网络、一个充当骨架的被动网络和充当人工皮肤的覆盖鳞片组成。有源网络由热响应液晶弹性体（LCE）制成的条带网格组成，其中包含可拉伸加热线圈。可以通过改变输入电流来控制LCE收缩的幅度和速度。LCE条带的1D收缩激活平面内和平面外变形;这些变形对于将平坦表面转换为任意3D几何形状都是必要的。我们表征的基本变形层的响应，并得出一个控制方案的驱动。我们证明了机器人表面提供了足够的机械刚度和稳定性来操纵其他物体。这种方法有可能解决形状变化以外的一系列应用的需求，例如人机交互和可重构电子设备。
Continuous and controlled shape morphing is essential for soft machines to conform, grasp, and move while interacting safely with their surroundings. Shape morphing can be achieved with two-dimensional (2D) sheets that reconfigure into target 3D geometries, for example, using stimuli-responsive materials. However, most existing solutions lack the ability to reprogram their shape, face limitations on attainable geometries, or have insufficient mechanical stiffness to manipulate objects. Here, we develop a soft, robotic surface that allows for large, reprogrammable, and pliable shape morphing into smooth 3D geometries. The robotic surface consists of a layered design composed of two active networks serving as artificial muscles, one passive network serving as a skeleton, and cover scales serving as an artificial skin. The active network consists of a grid of strips made of heat-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) containing stretchable heating coils. The magnitude and speed of contraction of the LCEs can be controlled by varying the input electric currents. The 1D contraction of the LCE strips activates in-plane and out-of-plane deformations; these deformations are both necessary to transform a flat surface into arbitrary 3D geometries. We characterize the fundamental deformation response of the layers and derive a control scheme for actuation. We demonstrate that the robotic surface provides sufficient mechanical stiffness and stability to manipulate other objects. This approach has potential to address the needs of a range of applications beyond shape changes, such as human-robot interactions and reconfigurable electronics.