Abstract
This paper presents the bio-mimetic design approach, the dynamic model, and potential applications for a hybrid soft actuator. The proposed hybrid soft actuator consists of two main parts: a cylinder-shaped rigid core and soft silicone spikes wrapped around the core’s surface. The key idea of the proposed design approach is to mimic the movement of a grass-spike at a functional level by converting the vibration force generated by a small electric motor with a counterweight in the rigid core into a propulsion force produced by the elastic restoration of the spikes. One advantage of this design approach is that the hybrid soft actuator does not need to be tethered by a tube line from an air compressor and is more amenable to fine control. In addition, the hybrid soft actuator can be modularized with a wire and a tubular passage, which in turn work as a linear actuator. The dynamic model of the hybrid soft actuator can be derived by applying Lagrangian mechanics, and unknown system parameters can be identified by the optimization process based on the empirical data. Two applications—an elbow manipulator and a robotic hand grasper—demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed actuator to perform a muscle-tendon action successfully.
Highlights
Soft robotics is a novel approach to the design of entire robotic systems or partial mechanisms by imitating the structural characteristics or functional mechanisms of various living creatures.Autumn et al observed that a gecko can stay on a vertical, dry, flat, slippery surface and found that the adhesive force between the gecko’s toes and the surface is proportional to the shearing force
In addition to our design approach, we introduce two dynamic models: an hybrid soft actuator (HSA) model and an interactive control model between the hybrid soft actuator module (HSAM) and a mass, respectively
We introduce a system identification process to estimate unknown frictional parameters based on empirical data
Summary
Autumn et al observed that a gecko can stay on a vertical, dry, flat, slippery surface and found that the adhesive force between the gecko’s toes and the surface is proportional to the shearing force. Based on this, they invented Stickybot [1]. Shin et al invented Hygrobot, which imitates the behavior of a seed in the presence of humidity [4]. All these approaches have shown that soft robotics can provide us with new perspectives to address challenging issues in the field of robotic system design
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