Pneumatic Networks for Soft Robotics that Actuate Rapidly
Pneumatic Networks for Soft Robotics that Actuate Rapidly
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DOI：
10.1002/adfm.201303288
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发表时间：
2014-04-01
影响因子：
19
通讯作者：
Whitesides, George M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mosadegh, Bobak;Polygerinos, Panagiotis;Whitesides, George M.
柔性机器人是由弹性材料中的小通道的气动网络（气动网络）的充气驱动的，用于以简单的控制产生复杂的运动。虽然目前的渔网设计实现了大幅度的运动，但它们的运动速度相对较慢（超过几秒）。本文介绍了一种新的设计，减少气体的充气所需的充气网，从而提高其驱动速度的蚊帐。一个简单的致动器可以弯曲从线性的准圆形形状在50毫秒时，加压P = 345 kPa。在高加压速率下，致动器弯曲的路径沿着取决于该速率。当完全充气时，这种新设计的腔室经历的体积变化仅为先前设计所需的体积变化的十分之一。这种小的体积变化要求材料在最大致动幅度下具有非常低的应变水平，以及非常低的疲劳和故障率。该致动器可以运行超过一百万次循环而不会显著降低性能。这种软机器人执行器的设计结合了执行器的高致动速率和高可靠性，并为它们开辟了新的应用领域。
Soft robots actuated by inflation of a pneumatic network (a pneu-net) of small channels in elastomeric materials are appealing for producing sophisticated motions with simple controls. Although current designs of pneu-nets achieve motion with large amplitudes, they do so relatively slowly (over seconds). This paper describes a new design for pneu-nets that reduces the amount of gas needed for inflation of the pneu-net, and thus increases its speed of actuation. A simple actuator can bend from a linear to a quasi-circular shape in 50 ms when pressurized at P = 345 kPa. At high rates of pressurization, the path along which the actuator bends depends on this rate. When inflated fully, the chambers of this new design experience only one-tenth the change in volume of that required for the previous design. This small change in volume requires comparably low levels of strain in the material at maximum amplitudes of actuation, and commensurately low rates of fatigue and failure. This actuator can operate over a million cycles without significant degradation of performance. This design for soft robotic actuators combines high rates of actuation with high reliability of the actuator, and opens new areas of application for them.