Transparent Soft Actuators/Sensors and Camouflage Skins for Imperceptible Soft Robotics

Abstract

instruments, and wearable assistive devices, but which mostly are restricted to discrete motions. However, soft robotics with entirely soft bodied system often solve difficulties in conventional rigid robots by overcoming their constraints, exceeding the performances and creating new applications. [1][2][3] Therefore, these soft machines have already taken many roles in industrial processing, automation, marine engineering, etc. [4][5][6] Technological advances in robots and wearable devices are closely connected to optical and mechanical compliance depending on their use. By taking advantages of recent advancements in transparent actuators and sensors, combining their soft and stretchy mechanical compliance with optically transparent property affords to create a new class of soft robotics, which can be referred to as an imperceptible soft robotics (ISR). As shown in Figure 1, systematic diagram of imperceptible soft robotics describes that ISR will mainly consist of transparent systems and camouflage skin. Transparent systems embrace optically transparent soft actuators and sensors in order to build mechanically interactive robotics that are rarely seen by others. As a supportive component, camouflage skin aims to provide for transparent systems to adapt in natural environment or humans for undercover operation and safe user-friendly interactions. This new conception of imperceptible soft robotic system that exhibits optically transparent interface or visually imperceptions through camouflage skin provides new functionalities over ones without such properties. Imperceptions of an assistive wearable device can be crucially important in wearer's daily life. Mechanically compliant and visually imperceptive human assistive device can serve the user's rehabilitation process or support disabled parts in the body without discomfort, altering biomechanics, and obstructive to others. [7] In a similar fashion, robotic prosthetics that requires soft sensing capability of motherly touch for caring babies demand integrated sensors and actuators to be imperceptible. [8] Tactile sensation with an implementation of ISR delivering information to user in private also possesses a wide range of possibility in virtual/augmented reality for human-machine interface and smart-living environment. [9][10][11][12] Undercover mission enabled by disguising into nature through optical transparency or environmentally skin will also be achieved by imperceptibleThe advent of soft robotics has led to great advancements in robots, wear ables, and even manufacturing processes by employing entirely soft-bodied systems that interact safely with any random surfaces while providing great mechanical compliance. Moreover, recent developments in soft robotics involve advances in transparent soft actuators and sensors that have made it possible to construct robots that can function in a visually and mechanically unobstructed manner, assisting the operations of robots and creating more applications in various fields. In this aspect, imperceptible soft robo...

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