Abstract
Soft robotic systems typically follow conventional control schemes, where actuators are supplied with dedicated inputs that are regulated through software. However, in recent years an alternative trend is being explored, where the control architecture can be simplified by harnessing the passive mechanical characteristics of the soft robotic system. This approach is named “morphological control”, and it can be used to decrease the number of components (tubing, valves and regulators) required by the controller. In this paper, we demonstrate morphological control of bio-inspired asymmetric motions for systems of soft bending actuators that are interconnected with passive flow restrictors. We introduce bending actuators consisting out of a cylindrical latex balloon in a flexible PVC shell. By tuning the radii of the tube and the shell, we obtain a nonlinear relation between internal pressure and volume in the actuator with a peak and valley in pressure. Because of the nonlinear characteristics of the actuators, they can be assembled in a system with a single pressure input where they bend in a discrete, preprogrammed sequence. We design and analyze two such systems inspired by the asymmetric movements of biological cilia. The first replicates the swept area of individual cilia, having a different forward and backward stroke, and the second generates a travelling wave across an array of cilia.
Highlights
IntroductionThe body and the brain are two separate entities. All control is encoded in software algorithms, while the body is following the software instructions
In traditional robotics, the body and the brain are two separate entities
The increasing interest in embodied intelligence in biology is matched in robotics by the development of soft robots with morphological control
Summary
The body and the brain are two separate entities. All control is encoded in software algorithms, while the body is following the software instructions. Studies have found that in organisms control is partly outsourced from the brain to the body (Pfeifer and Bongard 2006). This is possible because the geometry and composition of the body have evolved in such a way that the physics acting on it passively realize the desired functionality. This process is called morphological control and is a form of embodied intelligence. The increasing interest in embodied intelligence in biology is matched in robotics by the development of soft robots with morphological control
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