Abstract
Jamming is a popular and versatile soft robotic mechanism, enabling new systems to be developed that can achieve high stiffness variation with minimal volume variation. Numerous applications have been reported, including deep-sea sampling, industrial gripping, and use as paws for legged locomotion. This review explores the state-of-the-art for the three classes of jamming actuator: granular, layer and fibre jamming. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these soft robotic systems and propose opportunities for further development. We describe a number of trends, promising avenues for innovative research, and several technology gaps that could push the field forwards if addressed, including the lack of standardization for evaluating the performance of jamming systems. We conclude with perspectives for future studies in soft jamming robotics research, particularly elucidating how emerging technologies, including multi-material 3D printing, can enable the design and creation of increasingly diverse and high-performance soft robotic mechanisms for a myriad of new application areas.
Highlights
Soft robotics is a subfield of robotics focused on the use of flexible and adaptive materials, which draws heavily on biological inspiration
The results show that distinct grain or layer geometries can produce different maximum stiffnesses and variability in stiffness linearity, and that layer jamming versus granular jamming with respect to bending stiffness deserves further investigation
We analysed the state of the field of jamming as a soft robotics technology
Summary
Soft robotics is a subfield of robotics focused on the use of flexible and adaptive materials, which draws heavily on biological inspiration. Layer jamming and fibre jamming typically require less volume and are lighter than granular jamming systems (a benefit of their planar and long, tubular designs, respectively) but their stiffness-tuneable range and passive, unjammed deformations are not as large, as they do not function as fluids when unjammed. We define jamming MIS tools, and differentiate them from simple jamming grippers by their intended use as jamming manipulators for surgical applications These MIS tools have design specifications including the capacity to function with trocar ports for single access surgery, multidirectional bending, elongation, minimization of organ damage, material compositions that are not human allergens, potential for embedding devices or tools for laparoscopic or endoscopic procedures, high precision stiffness controllability, and considerable force for organ displacement and/or retraction. In these studies, the soft robotic jamming of grains, layers or fibres stored within membranes, was induced using seven different mechanisms.
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