Soft pneumatic grippers embedded with stretchable electroadhesion

Guo, Jianglong; Elgeneidy, Khaled; Xiang, Chaoqun; Lohse, Niels; Justham, Laura; Rossiter, Jonathan

doi:10.1088/1361-665x/aab579

Cited by 134 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Soft robotics technology has drawn great research interest over the past two decades for its relatively low cost, safe human-robot interaction and application in confined or constricted environments (see e.g., [1][2][3][4][5][6]). Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are an emerging type of soft actuator that has advantages over conventional actuators in terms of large actuation strains, high energy density, good scalability and low cost [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Optimization of a Conical Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Cao

Conn

2018

Actuators

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Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are known as 'artificial muscles' due to their large actuation strain, high energy density and self-sensing capability. The conical configuration has been widely adopted in DEA applications such as bio-inspired locomotion and micropumps for its good compactness, ease for fabrication and large actuation stroke. However, the conical protrusion of the DEA membrane is characterized by inhomogeneous stresses, which complicate their design. In this work, we present an analytical model-based optimization for conical DEAs with the three biasing elements: (I) linear compression spring; (II) biasing mass; and (III) antagonistic double-cone DEA. The optimization is to find the maximum stroke and work output of a conical DEA by tuning its geometry (inner disk to outer frame radius ratio a/b) and pre-stretch ratio. The results show that (a) for all three cases, stroke and work output are maximum for a pre-stretch ratio of 1 × 1 for the Parker silicone elastomer, which suggests the stretch caused by out-of-plane deformation is sufficient for this specific elastomer. (b) Stroke maximization is obtained for a lower a/b ratio while a larger a/b ratio is required to maximize work output, but the optimal a/b ratio is less than 0.3 in all three cases. (c) The double-cone configuration has the largest stroke while single cone with a biasing mass has the highest work output.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Optimization of a Conical Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Cao

Conn

2018

Actuators

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“…The recent development of highly stretchable and printable elastomers makes for an interesting future for 3D-printed bending fingers if their durability can be further increased to over a few thousands cycles [15]. Another pneumatic gripper [16] integrates electroadhesion into bending fingers, allowing the gripping of soft and flat objects as well large and regular objects. This gripper is well suited to the manipulation of light (<100 g) and delicate objects, although it is not conceived to hold large loads.…”

Section: Monolithic Polymer Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleeved Bending Actuators for Soft Grippers: A Durable Solution for High Force-to-Weight Applications

2018

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Soft grippers are known for their ability to interact with objects that are fragile, soft or of an unknown shape, as well as humans in collaborative robotics applications. However, state-of-the-art soft grippers lack either payload capacity or durability, which limits their use in industrial applications. In fact, high force density pneumatic soft grippers require high strain and operating pressure, both of which impair their durability. This work presents a new sleeved bending actuator for soft grippers that is capable of high force density and durability. The proposed actuator is based on design principles previously proven to improve the life of pneumatic artificial muscles, where a sleeve provides a uniform reinforcement that reduces local stresses and strains in the inflated membrane. The sleeved bending actuator features a silicone membrane and an external two-material sleeve that can support high pressures while providing a flexible grip. The proposed sleeved bending actuators are validated through two grippers, sized according to foreseen soft gripper applications: A small gripper for drone perching and lightweight food manipulation, and a larger one for the manipulation of heavy material (>5 kg) of various weights and sizes. Performance assessment shows that these grippers have payloads up to 5.2 kg and 20 kg, respectively. Durability testing of the grippers demonstrates that the grippers have an expected lifetime ranging from 263,000 cycles to more than 700,000 cycles. The grippers are tested in various settings, including the integration of a gripper into a Phantom 2 quadcopter, a perching demonstration, as well as the gripping of light and heavy food items. Experiments show that sleeved bending actuators constitute a promising avenue for durable and strong soft grippers.

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“…There is, therefore, a need for lighter, simpler and lower cost modular interconnection technologies. Electroadhesion (EA) [6] is an attractive and electrically controllable adhesion technology that has been widely employed in material handling [7][8][9][10][11], climbing robotics [12][13][14], and active attachment [15][16][17][18][19][20] applications due to the fact that: (1) EA pads can be produced using lightweight materials and simple structures, (2) the energy consumption of EA is low (in the range of mW), and (3) EA can be used on a wide range of surfaces and to lift almost any materials, including conductive and insulating materials. Electroadhesion is a controllable technology with potential for use in interconnecting lightweight modular robotics systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrically controllable connection and power transfer by electroadhesion

Guo

Xiang

Rossiter

2019

Smart Mater. Struct.

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Reconfigurable smart structures and robots require interconnects that enable the transfer of forces, power and data from one modular element to another. This is typically achieved through magnetic coupling, mechanical clips and male-female electrical contacts. In lightweight structures however, these methods are impractical due to weight and complexity. In this work we present an electroadhesive coupling (EAC) controllable interfacial connection for joining lightweight modular components, which enable simultaneous mechanical joining and electrical pass-through connections for power and communication. Active adhesion and power transfer are realized by electroadhesion (EA) using conducting electrodes on lightweight materials such as papers. We present the underlying EAC concept, materials and structures, and demonstrate this new approach using origami and kirigami structures to fabricate a modular EAC bridge and a modular EAC cuboid structural interconnection system. These novel structures have the potential for application in lightweight robotics, space systems, deployable and self-assembling and self-disassembling systems.Supplementary material for this article is available online

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Soft pneumatic grippers embedded with stretchable electroadhesion

Cited by 134 publications

References 16 publications

Performance Optimization of a Conical Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Performance Optimization of a Conical Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Sleeved Bending Actuators for Soft Grippers: A Durable Solution for High Force-to-Weight Applications

Electrically controllable connection and power transfer by electroadhesion

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