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Machines
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Soft Robotics: Fabrication, Actuation and Application
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Soft Robotics: Fabrication, Actuation and Application

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This special issue belongs to the section "Automation and Control Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 4265

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jongwoo Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 17104, Korea
Interests: robotics; medical robots; soft robots

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft robotics is a subfield of robotics that concerns the design, control, and fabrication of robots composed of compliant materials, instead of rigid links. Soft robotics has been a subject of increasing interest and development in recent years. The goal within this field is the design and construction of robots with physically flexible bodies and electronics. A popular manufacturing process called soft lithographic molding, which relies on casting elastomer in molds obtained by soft lithography or 3D printing, is often employed for manufacturing of soft robots.

This Special Issue intends to draw attention to the newest advances in soft robotics, including soft sensors, soft actuators along with power generator, soft controllers, and soft mechanisms.

Dr. Jongwoo Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soft robotics
  • soft robot materials and design
  • compliant joints
  • physical intelligence

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2558 KiB  
Article
Tendon-Driven Crawling Robot with Programmable Anisotropic Friction by Adjusting Out-of-Plane Curvature
by Hyeonsu Kim, Sumin Cho, Dongik Kam, Seong Jin Lee, Seongjae Park, Dongwhi Choi and Jongwoo Kim
Machines 2023, 11(7), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines11070763 - 22 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1382
Abstract
Origami crawling robots, inspired by the principles of origami folding, have emerged as a promising approach for developing lightweight and flexible robots capable of navigating tight spaces. These robots utilize anisotropic friction, where the frictional forces between surfaces vary depending on the direction [...] Read more.
Origami crawling robots, inspired by the principles of origami folding, have emerged as a promising approach for developing lightweight and flexible robots capable of navigating tight spaces. These robots utilize anisotropic friction, where the frictional forces between surfaces vary depending on the direction of motion, enabling controlled movement by changing the robot’s body orientation. While various actuation methods have been explored, such as pneumatic and magnetic systems, they suffer from limitations such as bulkiness or restricted workspace. In this paper, we propose a tendon-driven crawling robot that achieves anisotropic friction by controlling its out-of-plane curvature. By manipulating the robot’s shape and out-of-plane curvature, we can modulate the friction forces and enable efficient crawling motion. To maximize anisotropic friction, we design an asymmetric contact film composed of elastomer and polyester. We analyze the relationship between out-of-plane curvature and frictional force through experiments on flat and sloped surfaces, considering different leg angles and slope angles of the contact film. The results demonstrate the gait loss ratio of 1.96% for the optimized design, highlighting the robot’s ability to crawl efficiently with quick response times and a low-profile system. This research contributes to the advancement of origami-based crawling robots and their potential applications in confined and unstructured environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Robotics: Fabrication, Actuation and Application)
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16 pages, 1139 KiB  
Article
Fabric Inflatable Soft Actuators for Soft Wearable Devices: The MOSAR Case
by Juana-Mariel Dávila-Vilchis, Juan Carlos Ávila-Vilchis, Adriana Herlinda Vilchis-González, Luis Adrián Zúñiga-Avilés and Juan Manuel Jacinto-Villegas
Machines 2022, 10(10), 871; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10100871 - 28 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2231
Abstract
This paper addresses the design, fabrication and control of Fabric Inflatable Soft Actuators (FISAs) for driving Soft Wearable Devices (SWD) for rehabilitation or assistance tasks. FISAs are integrated by a set of pneumatic chambers made of 200D TPU-nylon that create bending-extending motions using [...] Read more.
This paper addresses the design, fabrication and control of Fabric Inflatable Soft Actuators (FISAs) for driving Soft Wearable Devices (SWD) for rehabilitation or assistance tasks. FISAs are integrated by a set of pneumatic chambers made of 200D TPU-nylon that create bending-extending motions using a modular assembly that allow FISAs to adapt them to any size of limb or easily replace them. Regarding FISAs fabrication, a self-hand manufacturing approach has been used for cutting, sewing, and joining them. Additionally, to evaluate FISAs operation, a Soft Exo-Sleeve called MOSAR system was manufactured to achieve elbow motion. To control their inflation-deflation process in real-time, proportional and solenoid valves have been implemented along with a Proportional-Derivative (PD) control strategy that has been embedded in the NUCLEO-STM32F767ZI™ board with rapid control prototyping. Preliminary experiments about FISA performance on the MOSAR system were carried out to measure the inflation-deflation time, Range of Motion (ROM), and output force when elbow flexion-extension occurred in a dummy limb. The results have demonstrated FISAs functionality above the exosuit since they were able to lift 1 kg with flexion of 130° in 5 s using 50 psi. Therefore, FISAs represent a feasible choice for semicircular motions in other joints such as the wrist, hand, or knee, no matter age, limb, or size, only the number of FISAs must be adjusted on the MOSAR system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Robotics: Fabrication, Actuation and Application)
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