A Design and Fabrication Approach for Pneumatic Soft Robotic Arms Using 3D Printed Origami Skeletons
The paper proposes a design and fabrication process for flexible robotic arms using an origami method. The origami skeleton combined with a pneumatic actuation system allows for fast activation while retaining pressure and tension. Using 3D printing is also good for different scales and is cost-effective.
K. Zhang, Y. Zhu, C. Lou, P. Zheng and M. Kovač, “A Design and Fabrication Approach for Pneumatic Soft Robotic Arms Using 3D Printed Origami Skeletons,” 2019 2nd IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), Seoul, Korea (South), 2019, pp. 821-827, doi: 10.1109/ROBOSOFT.2019.8722719.
Modeling locomotion of a soft-bodied arthropod using inverse dynamics
This paper suggests studying the tobacco hornworm caterpillar as a model for locomotion compared to animals with stiff skeletons. Their goal is to develop a reduced-order physical model to infer how passive mechanical forces and active neuromuscular forces contribute to motion. They found that internal motion is highly localized rather than evenly distributed, which serves as
Saunders F, Trimmer BA, Rife J. Modeling locomotion of a soft-bodied arthropod using inverse dynamics. Bioinspir Biomim. 2011 Mar;6(1):016001. doi: 10.1088/1748-3182/6/1/016001. Epub 2010 Dec 15. PMID: 21160115.
A Multi-Module Soft Robotic Arm with Soft End Effector for Minimally Invasive Surgery
Current surgical procedure rely on rigid medical devices which can cause harm to the patient, so the paper reports the design and fabrication of 2 end-of-arm manipulators made of a flexible silicone rubber. The designed arms have a variety of motion modes and can grasp both small medical devices and tissue, but need more research to have better control and define range of motion.
M. Chen, D. Wang, J. Zou, L. Sun, J. Sun and G. Jin, “A Multi-Module Soft Robotic Arm with Soft End Effector for Minimally Invasive Surgery,” 2019 2nd World Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Manufacturing (WCMEIM), Shanghai, China, 2019, pp. 461-465, doi: 10.1109/WCMEIM48965.2019.00097.