Stretchable Materials for Robust Soft Actuators towards Assistive Wearable Devices.
Stretchable Materials for Robust Soft Actuators towards Assistive Wearable Devices.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep34224
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发表时间：
2016-09-27
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Paik J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Agarwal G;Besuchet N;Audergon B;Paik J
由弹性体活性材料制成的软致动器可以在各种应用中找到广泛的潜在实现，从针对生物医学康复或日常生活活动的辅助可穿戴技术，生物启发和仿生系统，到抓握和操纵易碎物体和适应性运动。在这篇手稿中，我们提出了一种新的双组分软致动器的设计和设计工具，生产致动器针对这些应用具有增强的机械性能和可制造性。我们的数值模型开发使用有限元方法可以预测致动器的行为在大的机械应变，允许有效的设计迭代系统优化。基于两个不同的致动器原型（线性和弯曲致动器）的实验结果，包括自由位移和阻塞力，我们已经验证了数值模型的有效性。所提出的广泛调查的机械性能的软致动器具有不同的几何参数演示的实际应用的设计工具，和鲁棒性的致动器硬件设计，对各种软机器人系统的辅助可穿戴技术，包括复制人体的几个部分的运动。
Soft actuators made from elastomeric active materials can find widespread potential implementation in a variety of applications ranging from assistive wearable technologies targeted at biomedical rehabilitation or assistance with activities of daily living, bioinspired and biomimetic systems, to gripping and manipulating fragile objects, and adaptable locomotion. In this manuscript, we propose a novel two-component soft actuator design and design tool that produces actuators targeted towards these applications with enhanced mechanical performance and manufacturability. Our numerical models developed using the finite element method can predict the actuator behavior at large mechanical strains to allow efficient design iterations for system optimization. Based on two distinctive actuator prototypes’ (linear and bending actuators) experimental results that include free displacement and blocked-forces, we have validated the efficacy of the numerical models. The presented extensive investigation of mechanical performance for soft actuators with varying geometric parameters demonstrates the practical application of the design tool, and the robustness of the actuator hardware design, towards diverse soft robotic systems for a wide set of assistive wearable technologies, including replicating the motion of several parts of the human body.