Abstract
In this systematic survey, an overview of non-conventional actuators particularly used in soft-robotics is presented. The review is performed by using well-defined performance criteria with a direction to identify the exemplary and potential applications. In addition to this, initial guidelines to compare the performance and applicability of these novel actuators are provided. The meta-analysis is restricted to five main types of actuators: shape memory alloys (SMAs), fluidic elastomer actuators (FEAs), shape morphing polymers (SMPs), dielectric electro-activated polymers (DEAPs), and magnetic/electro-magnetic actuators (E/MAs). In exploring and comparing the capabilities of these actuators, the focus was on eight different aspects: compliance, topology-geometry, scalability-complexity, energy efficiency, operation range, modality, controllability, and technological readiness level (TRL). The overview presented here provides a state-of-the-art summary of the advancements and can help researchers to select the most convenient soft actuators using the comprehensive comparison of the suggested quantitative and qualitative criteria.
Highlights
IntroductionIt is intended to give a broad evaluation of the developments in soft-actuators
In this overview, it is intended to give a broad evaluation of the developments in soft-actuators.These alternative devices either fundamentally differ from the traditional actuators which normally use electro-magneto-mechanical, fluidic, and thermal combustion, or they have the same operation principles under a completely new design, emphasizing crucial differences in soft-robotics
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Summary
It is intended to give a broad evaluation of the developments in soft-actuators. In robots with serial kinematic chains, the joint closest to the base should be able to cope with all the weight and counter torque requirements of the preceding joints This requires the base motor to be selected as large as possible, making the robot hefty in turn. The ratio between the energy supplied by the actuator and the weight of the actuator is a natural limitation Even this basic fact was a set-back until harmonic drive and light-weight structures offered an intermediate and acceptable solution to the robotics community. “energy output/volume” ratio is an inherent limit in selecting the best actuator for a given application. Considering these two general criteria, the novel/soft actuators can give the researchers the opportunity to design compact, light-weight and compliant soft-robots. In this review, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the current state-of-art in soft-actuators, focusing on four different type of actuators
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