Abstract
Soft actuation allows robots to interact safely with humans, other machines, and their surroundings. Full exploitation of the potential of soft actuators has, however, been hindered by the lack of simple manufacturing routes to generate multimaterial parts with intricate shapes and architectures. Here, we report a 3D printing platform for the seamless digital fabrication of pneumatic silicone actuators exhibiting programmable bioinspired architectures and motions. The actuators comprise an elastomeric body whose surface is decorated with reinforcing stripes at a well-defined lead angle. Similar to the fibrous architectures found in muscular hydrostats, the lead angle can be altered to achieve elongation, contraction, or twisting motions. Using a quantitative model based on lamination theory, we establish design principles for the digital fabrication of silicone-based soft actuators whose functional response is programmed within the material's properties and architecture. Exploring such programmability enables 3D printing of a broad range of soft morphing structures.
Highlights
Soft actuators enable smooth and conformable complex motions that ensure safe interactions of robots with humans and have led to impressive assistive technologies for rehabilitation and training[1,2,3,4]
3D printing of silicone-based materials using stereolithography and Direct Ink Writing (DIW) have been shown[3,4,19] and used for the digital manufacturing of soft actuators inspired by muscular hydrostats[1]
In contrast to muscular hydrostats, the fibers passively restrict the water-driven expansion of a continuous matrix in well-defined directions to achieve differential deformation of the material. Despite these differences in the active driving material, the relative dimensional changes between matrix and fiber are the same, leading to an equivalent final motion. Implementing such bioinspired strategies in fluidic elastomer actuators using a 3D printing platform would be an effective approach to digitally fabricate compact soft actuators with complex motion programmed within the material
Summary
Soft actuators enable smooth and conformable complex motions that ensure safe interactions of robots with humans and have led to impressive assistive technologies for rehabilitation and training[1,2,3,4]. 3D printing of silicone-based materials using stereolithography and Direct Ink Writing (DIW) have been shown[3,4,19] and used for the digital manufacturing of soft actuators inspired by muscular hydrostats[1].
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