Author: efrankel@andrew.cmu.edu

After 6 weeks of mesh experimentation and development, this past week has been focused on final assembly and casting. We decided on 4 main shapes to try: 2 distorted, 1 combined, and one uniform. This allows for a variety of behaviors for our materials and a visually distinct experience for the users. We were able
Continue reading Progress Report 5: Dunn and Elliot

This week focused on model validation, with 4 casts in our 3D printed molds taking place. We used the Dragon Skin 20 for each of these pours, which is the same silicone that we used in our second cast. We chose a few models to cast – curved, missing link, and two-material. We also changed
Continue reading Progress Report 4 – Dunn and Elliot

This week was a continuation of the work we did last week. We have refined both our modeling and FEA processes so that we can run more of our designs each week. This is allowing us to hone in on exactly what behaviors we expect to see, and allows us to choose what we want
Continue reading Progress Report 3: Dunn and Elliot

We have been iterating through different auxetic designs using Rhino and running FEA simulations in Solidworks to find interesting auxetic behaviors. At this stage, our simulations are working to inform a design that we will print. The start of the week was getting each of the softwares working, but by the end of the week
Continue reading Progress Report 2: Dunn and Elliot

Pivoting from focusing on the practical application to utilizing the interesting properties of the material that we have chosen. By focusing on what we wanted the result to look like then working backwards, we pigeonholed ourselves and lost sight of what we were trying to achieve. Our new prototype with the stiffer silicone worked much
Continue reading Progress Report – Dunn and Elliot

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/12/researchers-develop-soft-valves-to-make-entirely-soft-robots/ Based on a gripper design from various sources, this actuator translates pneumatic pressure to a gripping force. Utilizing two different thicknesses of silicon on the top and bottom of the actuator, it is able to bend its “fingers” inwards. The link to the files is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d0tVN18X5IG1vFOcGbd8nepZ__HgYM8n/view?usp=share_link

Starting paper: Y. Liu, X. Huang, H. Pan, S. Li and P. Li, “Design of a Spiny Foot with Fluid-filled Sacs for Climbing Robots,” 2021 IEEE International Conference on Real-time Computing and Robotics (RCAR), Xining, China, 2021, pp. 336-340, doi: 10.1109/RCAR52367.2021.9517486. Root: P. Glick, S. A. Suresh, D. Ruffatto, M. Cutkosky, M. T. Tolley and
Continue reading Lateral Literature Review

IEEE: P. Glick, S. A. Suresh, D. Ruffatto, M. Cutkosky, M. T. Tolley and A. Parness, “A Soft Robotic Gripper With Gecko-Inspired Adhesive,” in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 903-910, April 2018, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2018.2792688. This paper covers a gripper that uses a specific kind of polymer that creates adhesion with
Continue reading Reading, Searching, and Skimming

The Egg Chair https://www.forbes.com/sites/amandalauren/2019/09/30/egg-chairs-the-furniture-trend-that-never-cracks/?sh=59b74d93537a I decided to approach this project from a product design lens by inspecting quintessential furniture designs. The Egg Chair was the most interesting and common piece that I found, and has an interesting purpose that is apt for soft robotic adaptations. Designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Egg Chair was
Continue reading Infusing Art with Technology

Ferrofluid based kinetic art and sculptures.