Actuation Mechanisms and Applications for Soft Robots: A Comprehensive Review

Li, Weidong; Liu, Yang

doi:10.3390/app13169255

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 221 publications

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“…According to a systematic review [1] for the period 2008-2022, the number of articles that were published in the field of soft robotics over the period of 2018-2022 was over 6.5 times greater than in the more than twice as long period of 2008-2017. The basic areas of application of soft robotics include the construction of bionic robots and objects, applications in rehabilitation, exploration of unknown environments, elimination of damage caused by robot collisions in production processes, and human-robot collaboration [2]. There are at least seven types of soft materials controlled by various types of excitations, e.g., air pressure, external magnetic fields, or high voltage [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damage Prediction for Integrated DEAP and MRE Soft Actuators

Bernat,

Kołota,

Gajewski

et al. 2024

Energies

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Soft robotics is a hot scientific topic in areas such as medicine and medical care, implantology, haptic technologies, and the design of various flexible structures. Integrated actuators (DEAP and MRE) are characterized by special functionality and a wider range of operations than when used individually. Such actuators can later be controlled with high voltages ranging from several to a dozen or so kV. Unfortunately, the production process of integrated actuators is multi-stage and therefore more complicated. Thus, at the stage of prototyping, microscopic errors often occur that cannot be detected using simple measurement methods. The result of such errors is actuator damage at the testing stage or in subsequent application. Unfortunately, due to high voltages, actuator damage usually leads to it catching fire, which is potentially dangerous. This work presents an approach that enables the prediction of actuator damage at the testing stage. The results of modeling damaged actuators, a modified safe testing method, and a complete supervising system for testing the actuator with protection are shown. The work is also enriched with a set of data from the analyzed damage to DEAP and MRE actuators, which may prove useful in other research on the actuators of soft robotics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damage Prediction for Integrated DEAP and MRE Soft Actuators

Bernat,

Kołota,

Gajewski

et al. 2024

Energies

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Photo‐responsive systems based on anisotropic composites of poly(N‐vinyl formamide) and active fillers using directional freezing combined with gamma irradiation crosslinking

Osicka,

Ilcikova,

Mrlík

et al. 2024

Journal of Polymer Science

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This study deals with the fabrication of smart anisotropic composite systems capable of reacting to light stimulus and reversibly providing significant change in the length. Surface‐modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and poly(pyrrole) (PPy) nanotubes were used as photoactive fillers. Anisotropic composites containing these fillers and poly(N‐vinyl formamide) (PNVF) matrix were fabricated using a directional freezing technique with freezable monomer, N‐vinyl formamide (NVF), as structure guiding medium and subsequent gamma irradiation polymerization and crosslinking technique. The dielectric properties showed that there is the presence of both relaxation processes α and β, which are significantly influenced by the presence of photoactive filler. The anisotropic distribution of fillers in samples was confirmed using microscopical, electrical conductivity and mechanical properties analysis. Finally, the photoactuation capabilities were investigated and showed enhanced photoactive response for the anisotropic system in the change in the length up to 54 μm after irradiation at 627 nm with a very low light intensity of 6 mW cm−2 in a fully reversible and repeatable manner. The simple, affordable, and industrially scalable fabrication technique opens an avenue for smart anisotropic photoactive composite systems.

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A pneumatic particle-blocking variable-stiffness bending actuator

Peng,

Wang,

Geng

2024

AIP Advances

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This study introduces a variable-stiffness pneumatic bending actuator to enhance the stiffness of flexible robots. The bending actuator combines the working principles of a pneumatic drive, a wedge structure, and particle blockage. It enables one-dimensional, bidirectional bending motion and offers pose-maintenance capabilities. The approach to variable-stiffness is both driven and antagonistic. Stiffness in both bending and opposite directions is nonlinearly correlated with air pressure values. Specifically, at 0.5 MPa of air pressure, the stiffness in the bending direction increases to 6.1 times the initial stiffness. At 0.15 MPa, the stiffness in the opposite direction is 2.1 times the initial value. When air pressure is greater than 0.15 MPa, the stiffness incrementally increases due to the wedge impedance force. A driven variable-stiffness control is simple and suitable for applications with a constant load direction, while the antagonistic approach is more suitable for occasions where the load direction changes during movement.

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Actuation Mechanisms and Applications for Soft Robots: A Comprehensive Review

Cited by 8 publications

References 221 publications

Damage Prediction for Integrated DEAP and MRE Soft Actuators

Damage Prediction for Integrated DEAP and MRE Soft Actuators

Photo‐responsive systems based on anisotropic composites of poly(N‐vinyl formamide) and active fillers using directional freezing combined with gamma irradiation crosslinking

A pneumatic particle-blocking variable-stiffness bending actuator

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