Integrated compliant actuation for untethered soft robotic systems

适用于无绳软机器人系统的集成顺应驱动

• 批准号: EP/P025846/1
• 负责人: Andrew Conn
• 金额: $ 12.37万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FP025846%2F1
• 关键词: Integrated; compliant; actuation; untethered; soft

The use of soft, flexible technologies in robotic systems is a fundamental shift from the traditional basis of how a robot should be designed. Compliant, deformable materials allow many biological principles to be emulated and this emerging soft approach can create robots that robustly deal with uncertainty, interact more safely with humans and compliantly move through unstructured environments. However, the lack of soft, embedded actuators that reliably replicate the functionality of muscles in the animal body has become a technological bottleneck. This has limited how effectively soft robots can be applied outside of laboratory conditions in applications that require either autonomy from tethering to hard supply systems.This project aims to develop innovative hybrid actuation systems which will expand the application of soft robotics towards autonomous and untethered systems. Like biological muscle, these actuators will be fully integrated into soft robotic devices without sacrificing their performance. The proposed developments of improved soft actuation performance are driven by two underlying objectives. The first of these relates to how the power to weight ratio (W/kg) of soft actuators can be sufficiently increased so that they are comparable to rigid actuators. The second overarching objective is driven by the need to untether soft robots from hard supply systems such as valves, pumps and electric motors. The motivations for these objectives are to give soft robotic systems autonomy, mobility and, ultimately, inherent compliance of all sub-systems.In this project advances will be made with two classes of soft robotic technology, fluidic actuators and thermo-active actuators, which will each be integrated with additional technologies such as electro-active polymers and evaporator-condenser networks. These new hybrid actuators will form hierarchical structures that do not need any rigid components and can be fully deformed. By addressing the need for soft robotic technologies that can be untethered and mobile the project will, if successful, have significant impact in the development of autonomous soft robots and wearable soft robotic healthcare technologies.

在机器人系统中使用柔软、灵活的技术是从传统的机器人设计基础上的根本转变。顺应性，可变形的材料允许许多生物学原理被模仿，这种新兴的软方法可以创建机器人，这些机器人可以鲁棒地处理不确定性，更安全地与人类互动，并顺应地在非结构化环境中移动。然而，缺乏可靠地复制动物体内肌肉功能的软嵌入式致动器已成为技术瓶颈。这限制了软机器人在实验室条件之外的应用中的有效性，这些应用需要从系留到硬供应系统的自主性。该项目旨在开发创新的混合驱动系统，将软机器人的应用扩展到自主和无系留系统。像生物肌肉一样，这些执行器将完全集成到软机器人设备中，而不会牺牲其性能。所提出的改进的软致动性能的开发由两个基本目标驱动。第一个问题涉及如何充分增加软致动器的功率重量比（W/kg），使其与刚性致动器相当。第二个总体目标是将软机器人从硬供应系统（如阀门、泵和电动机）中解放出来。这些目标的动机是给软机器人系统的自主性，机动性，并最终，所有子系统的内在compliance.In这个项目的进展将与两类软机器人技术，流体执行器和热激活执行器，这将分别与其他技术，如电活性聚合物和蒸发器-冷凝器网络集成。这些新的混合致动器将形成分层结构，不需要任何刚性部件，可以完全变形。通过解决对可以不受束缚和移动的软机器人技术的需求，该项目如果成功，将对自主软机器人和可穿戴软机器人医疗保健技术的发展产生重大影响。

项目成果

Toward a Dielectric Elastomer Resonator Driven Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle.

• DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2018.00137
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: Frontiers in robotics and AI
• 影响因子: 3.4
• 作者: Cao C;Burgess S;Conn AT
• 通讯作者: Conn AT

A compliantly coupled dielectric elastomer actuator using magnetic repulsion

• DOI: 10.1063/1.5071439
• 发表时间: 2019-01-07
• 期刊: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
• 影响因子: 4
• 作者: Cao, C.;Gao, X.;Conn, A. T.
• 通讯作者: Conn, A. T.

Performance Optimization of a Conical Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

• DOI: 10.3390/act7020032
• 发表时间: 2018-06-01
• 期刊: ACTUATORS
• 影响因子: 2.6
• 作者: Cao, Chongjing;Conn, Andrew T.
• 通讯作者: Conn, Andrew T.

A Magnetically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Pump for Soft Robotics

• DOI: 10.1002/admt.201900128
• 发表时间: 2019-08-01
• 期刊: ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
• 影响因子: 6.8
• 作者: Cao, Chongjing;Gao, Xing;Conn, Andrew T.
• 通讯作者: Conn, Andrew T.

Flapping at resonance: Realization of an electroactive elastic thorax

• DOI: 10.1109/robosoft.2018.8404940
• 发表时间: 2018-04
• 期刊: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)
• 作者: C. Cao;S. Burgess;A. Conn