Modeling vacuum bellows soft pneumatic actuators with optimal mechanical performance

Felt, Wyatt; Robertson, Matthew A.; Paik, Jamie

doi:10.1109/robosoft.2018.8405381

Cited by 44 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…When depressurized, most textiles return to a state in which there is minimal volume or thickness in the actuator, which prevents the body of the actuator from becoming a hindrance to the movement of the user more so than rigid robotic counterparts (Chung et al 2018). A combination of material properties, textiles, and basic geometric configurations of bladders is used to achieve the desired motion and force output (Felt et al 2018;Cappello et al 2018a).…”

Section: Fabric-based Inflatables and Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…New developments in fabric-based inflatable textiles have allowed for the implementation of new materials that can achieve a high variety of deformations and force translations (Cappello et al 2018a;Realmuto and Sanger 2019). Fabric-based actuators have also been created to mimic the behavior of bellows to create a bending or rotary motion, similar in mechanical principles to the PneuNet actuator (Khin et al 2017;Felt et al 2018;Thalman et al 2018;Yang and Asbeck 2018;Miller-Jackson et al 2019b). Similar to fiber-reinforcing elastomers, design and characterization of fabric actuators can be performed by combining inextensible fabrics with extensible fabrics, such as spandex or neoprene to obtain the desired actuator behavior (Cappello et al 2018a;Realmuto and Sanger 2019).…”

Section: Fabric-based Inflatables and Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of soft wearable robots that provide active assistance: Trends, common actuation methods, fabrication, and applications

2020

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This review meta-analysis combines and compares the findings of previously published works in the field of soft wearable robots (SWRs) that provide active methods of actuation for assistive and augmentative purposes. A thorough investigation of major contributions in the field of an SWR is made to analyze trends in the field focused on fluidic and cable-driven systems, prevalent and successful approaches, and identify the future direction of SWRs and active actuation strategies. Types of soft actuators used in wearables are outlined, as well as general practices for fabrication methods of soft actuators and considerations for human–robot interface designs of garment-like exosuits. An overview of well-known and emerging upper body (UB)- and lower body (LB)-assistive technologies is categorized by the specific joints and degree of freedom (DoF) assisted and which actuator methodology is provided. Different use cases for SWRs are addressed, as well as implementation strategies and design applications.

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Section: Fabric-based Inflatables and Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fabric-based Inflatables and Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of soft wearable robots that provide active assistance: Trends, common actuation methods, fabrication, and applications

2020

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“…There have been a variety of simplified models that attempt to predict such profiles. While some models make use of force balancing analytical and numerical finite element models (Polygerinos et al, 2015b;Li et al, 2017), others have modelled actuator outputs using analytical solutions to the principle of virtual work (Chou and Hannaford, 1996;Li et al, 2017;Felt et al, 2018;Lee and Rodrigue, 2019), which allows a force profile to be estimated solely from the actuator's geometry:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Modular Geometrical Framework for Modelling the Force-Contraction Profile of Vacuum-Powered Soft Actuators

et al. 2021

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In this paper, we present a generalized modeling tool for predicting the output force profile of vacuum-powered soft actuators using a simplified geometrical approach and the principle of virtual work. Previous work has derived analytical formulas to model the force-contraction profile of specific actuators. To enhance the versatility and the efficiency of the modelling process we propose a generalized numerical algorithm based purely on geometrical inputs, which can be tailored to the desired actuator, to estimate its force-contraction profile quickly and for any combination of varying geometrical parameters. We identify a class of linearly contracting vacuum actuators that consists of a polymeric skin guided by a rigid skeleton and apply our model to two such actuators-vacuum bellows and Fluid-driven Origami-inspired Artificial Muscles-to demonstrate the versatility of our model. We perform experiments to validate that our model can predict the force profile of the actuators using its geometric principles, modularly combined with design-specific external adjustment factors. Our framework can be used as a versatile design tool that allows users to perform parametric studies and rapidly and efficiently tune actuator dimensions to produce a force-contraction profile to meet their needs, and as a pre-screening tool to obviate the need for multiple rounds of time-intensive actuator fabrication and testing.

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“…To reduce cost by unifying drive sources, the support mechanism is pneumatically driven, as with the suction pads. Various pneumatic actuators have been proposed [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. McKibben-type artificial muscles [10][11][12][13][14] have the characteristic of expanding diametrically and contracting in the axial direction when pressurized.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, pneumatic actuators that are deformed by pressure risk expansion damage unless proper control is performed. In contrast, bellows-type actuators [21][22][23][24] contract in the axial direction when decompressed and extend in the axial direction after releasing the reduced pressure state, so pressurization beyond atmospheric pressure is unnecessary. Therefore, from the viewpoint of safety, we adopted the bellows method for the pneumatic actuator used in this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suction pad unit using a bellows pneumatic actuator as a support mechanism for an end effector of depalletizing robots

et al. 2020

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This paper describes a vacuum suction-type end effector for depalletizing robots in distribution centers. The developed end effector has multiple suction pad units to which a bellows pneumatic actuator is applied as the support mechanism. Load-bearing capacity is improved due to a high-strength wire provided inside the bellows, and the contraction force is improved due to ring members placed inside of the ridges of the rubber bellows. The developed end effector is attached to the arm of a linear motion-type depalletizing robot, and its real-world performance is verified. Verification results confirm that the suction pad units tolerate cardboard box inclination and differences in box height by a simple lowering motion of the arm, and multiple cardboard boxes can be simultaneously unloaded. Moreover, as compared with conventional end effectors, the developed end effector achieves large expansion and contraction in a thin structure. The developed end effector is expected to broaden applications for depalletizing robots.

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Modeling vacuum bellows soft pneumatic actuators with optimal mechanical performance

Cited by 44 publications

References 12 publications

A review of soft wearable robots that provide active assistance: Trends, common actuation methods, fabrication, and applications

A review of soft wearable robots that provide active assistance: Trends, common actuation methods, fabrication, and applications

A Modular Geometrical Framework for Modelling the Force-Contraction Profile of Vacuum-Powered Soft Actuators

Suction pad unit using a bellows pneumatic actuator as a support mechanism for an end effector of depalletizing robots

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