Creative Soft Robotics

Over the weekend, we met up to create a new model to send to the Stratasys printer. We determined that we wanted the second model we made to lengthen and developed an accordion-inspired air chamber. We also adapted our previous bending block to be at a smaller scale and are testing it out on Sebastian’s
Continue reading 3/29 Sebastian and Elena Update

We each made attempts at creating molds for silicone inflatables. We printed these molds and attempted to cast silicone in them. We also attempted to create a mold by hand from plasticine and cardboard. All of the molds seemed to have issues with holes, the plasticine mold due to shoddy assembly and the printed molds
Continue reading 3/23 Elena and Sebastian Project Update

Dorcas Lin, Ray Pai, Sophie Paul 4/7 Experiment Printed Templates 4/5 Experiment 4/1 Experiment Heat as Adhesive and Form Creation Two zig-zag overlapping this created semi-flexible hinges depending on which portion set first Two strips overlapping 3. Adding pressure to touchpoints to create hybrid joint Exploring New Design Affordances As our fabrication has begun to
Continue reading 4/7 Origami Project Update

Last week we began exploring with balloons test out using syringes to control inflatables and to experiment with the different types of movement we could achieve with the inflatable actuators. We were able to produce a couple different semi-functional devices: a two-balloon actuator that could change the angle of a piece of cardboard, a three-balloon
Continue reading Sebastian and Elena Project Update

Project Synopsis: Our project explores the possibility of integrating a pneumatic system of parts to an existing framework of toys, in this case: Legos. This new system, presents the potential to teach those who may be unfamiliar with soft robotics with a lower barrier of entry to the field. The compatibility of the soft pneumatic
Continue reading Elena & Sebastian Research Plan

We are making a children’s fabric book with soft sensors to create an interactive playful experience. It is an interactive storytelling experience augmented by using sensor inputs and outputs to create different story outcomes. By adding digital interactive elements to the fabric book, we hope to explore innovative ways of letting young children to learn
Continue reading Research Plan

Concept Statement In order to explore how to accommodate a hands-on learning style through visualization of tactile experiences, we are creating an interactive origami book with self-folding pages that portray each step of the process from the first fold to the last fold for the reader. In terms of the physical process,  the instructions would
Continue reading Dorcas/Sophie: Research Plan

Through this experiment, we are testing the water temperature and amount of water at which thermoplastic material needs to fully transform from 2D to a 3D model for our origami tutorial book. We are testing this aspect to see if this would be safe to create at home and what precautions are needed to make
Continue reading Bill of Materials

For the initial proof of concept for making the children’s fabric book, we will be trying to create a list of selected sensors and conduct tests with the results. It will be a more technical prototyping stage and these prototypes will help us decide which of the input means fit the most with the responses,
Continue reading Bill of Material