Design and Characterization of a Novel Vacuum Bending Actuator and a Bimorph: for Preliminary Use in a Continuum Robot Arm

Katugampala, Sajeewa D.; Arachchi, Kasun M. S.; Asanka, Suresh; Arumathanthri, Rancimal B.; Kulasekera, Asitha L.; Jayaweera, Nirosh

doi:10.1109/cis-ram47153.2019.9095543

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Vacuum bending actuators (VBA) for continuum manipulators were designed and fabricated by Katugampala et al They tested a single VBA as well as a bimorph actuator comprising of two VBAs to get multi-plane motions. The authors successfully developed a continuum manipulator consisting of three VBAs [18]. The characteristics of both positive and negative pressurization were utilized by Fatahillah et al who proposed a positive and negative pressure (PNP) actuator.…”

Section: Vacuum Actuationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Actuation Technologies for Soft Robot Grippers and Manipulators: A Review

et al. 2021

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Purpose of Review The new paradigm of soft robotics has been widely developed in the international robotics community. These robots being soft can be used in applications where delicate yet effective interaction is necessary. Soft grippers and manipulators are important, and their actuation is a fundamental area of study. The main purpose of this work is to provide readers with fast references to actuation technologies for soft robotic grippers in relation to their intended application. Recent Findings The authors have surveyed recent findings on actuation technologies for soft grippers. They presented six major kinds of technologies which are either used independently for actuation or in combination, e.g., pneumatic actuation combined with electro-adhesion, for certain applications. Summary A review on the latest actuation technologies for soft grippers and manipulators is presented. Readers will get a guide on the various methods of technology utilization based on the application.

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Section: Vacuum Actuationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Actuation Technologies for Soft Robot Grippers and Manipulators: A Review

et al. 2021

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“…PAMs offer an attractive solution for wearable assistive device development due to their high force-to-weight ratio, hygienic operation close to humans and good human safety due to similar contraction properties and compliance characteristics to biological muscles [37], [38]. Research on PAM development has been more focused on using positive pressure for actuation, with growing recent interest in utilizing negative pressure (vacuum, below external) [39]- [42]. Vacuum-driven actuators possess several distinctive, inherent advantages, over positive pressure actuators.…”

Section: A Contractile Vacuum Actuatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The foam structure also acts as elastic energy storage that assists in the return of the actuator to the neutral state. The third, and the method with the most recent interest is the collapse of an inextensible film pouch collapse guided by a skeleton [40]- [42], [44]. In this method, a collapsible skeletal structure is used to control the collapse of an inextensible fluid-tight thin-walled pouch.…”

Section: A Contractile Vacuum Actuatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this method, a collapsible skeletal structure is used to control the collapse of an inextensible fluid-tight thin-walled pouch. Several skeletal structures has been proposed, such as 3Dprinted zigzag structures [40], rings/cross-section supports [41], [44] and spine/vertebrae like structures [42].…”

Section: A Contractile Vacuum Actuatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film was selected to create the inextensible, thin-walled pouch, due to its previous success [40], [42] as well as the common-place availability, and ease of fabrication. To fabricate the pouch, rectangular film strips were cut.…”

Section: A Lpvac Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Low-Profile Vacuum Actuator (LPVAc) With Integrated Inductive Displacement Sensing for a Novel Sit-to-Stand Assist Exosuit

et al. 2021

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Stroke, spinal cord injuries, or aging can lead to muscle weakness that can make a person's life sedentary, either temporarily or permanently. Such persons need to be motivated to break their sedentary postures and attempt independent motion. A key motivator in this aspect is the ability to easily transition from seated to standing posture. If this sit-to-stand transition (STSt) is easy, it will encourage further mobility. A soft wearable device that can assist the STSt, would fill this need perfectly. The device would need to be able to seamlessly assist during STSt while being unobtrusive during being seated. A key limitation that is currently holding back the development of soft exosuits in STSt-assist is the lack of low-profile soft actuators with high strain rate and force-to-weight ratio. Hence, we propose a novel lowprofile vacuum actuator (LPVAc) with an integrated inductive displacement sensor that, can be rapidly fabricated, is lightweight (14 g), and can provide high strain (65%) and a high force-to-weight ratio (285 times self-weight). The proposed actuator comprises a low-profile spring encased within a low-density polyethylene film with rapid vacuum actuation and passive quick return. The proposed inductive sensor has a sensitivity of 0.0022 µH/mm and the hysteresis is below 1.5% with an overall absolute average error percentage of 5.24%. The performance of the proposed integrated sensor in displacement control of the LPVAc is experimentally evaluated. The proposed actuator is integrated into a novel mono-articular STStassist exosuit for preliminary testing. Surface electromyography measurements of the gluteus maximus muscles during STSt indicate a mean muscle activity reduction of 45%. This supports the potential use of the proposed actuator in STSt-assist.

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