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A retrofit sensing strategy for soft fluidic robots.

ABSTRACT: Soft robots are intrinsically capable of adapting to different environments by changing their shape in response to interaction forces. However, sensory feedback is still required for higher level decisions. Most sensing technologies integrate separate sensing elements in soft actuators, which presents a considerable challenge for both the fabrication and robustness of soft robots. Here we present a versatile sensing strategy that can be retrofitted to existing soft fluidic devices without the need for design changes. We achieve this by measuring the fluidic input that is required to activate a soft actuator during interaction with the environment, and relating this input to its deformed state. We demonstrate the versatility of our strategy by tactile sensing of the size, shape, surface roughness and stiffness of objects. We furthermore retrofit sensing to a range of existing pneumatic soft actuators and grippers. Finally, we show the robustness of our fluidic sensing strategy in closed-loop control of a soft gripper for sorting, fruit picking and ripeness detection. We conclude that as long as the interaction of the actuator with the environment results in a shape change of the interval volume, soft fluidic actuators require no embedded sensors and design modifications to implement useful sensing.

SUBMITTER: Zou S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10789869 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A retrofit sensing strategy for soft fluidic robots.

Zou Shibo S Picella Sergio S de Vries Jelle J Kortman Vera G VG Sakes Aimée A Overvelde Johannes T B JTB

Nature communications 20240115 1

Soft robots are intrinsically capable of adapting to different environments by changing their shape in response to interaction forces. However, sensory feedback is still required for higher level decisions. Most sensing technologies integrate separate sensing elements in soft actuators, which presents a considerable challenge for both the fabrication and robustness of soft robots. Here we present a versatile sensing strategy that can be retrofitted to existing soft fluidic devices without the ne ...[more]

PMID: 38225274

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Project description:The research on biomimetic robots, especially soft robots with flexible materials as the main structure, is constantly being explored. It integrates multi-disciplinary content, such as bionics, material science, mechatronics engineering, and control theory, and belongs to the cross-disciplinary field related to mechanical bionics and biological manufacturing. With the continuous development of various related disciplines, this area has become a hot research field. Particularly with the development of practical technologies such as 3D printing technology, shape memory alloy, piezoelectric materials, and hydrogels at the present stage, the functions and forms of soft robots are constantly being further developed, and a variety of new soft robots keep emerging. Soft robots, combined with their own materials or structural characteristics of large deformation, have almost unlimited degrees of freedom (DoF) compared with rigid robots, which also provide a more reliable structural basis for soft robots to adapt to the natural environment. Therefore, soft robots will have extremely strong adaptability in some special conditions. As a type of robot made of flexible materials, the changeable pose structure of soft robots is especially suitable for the large application environment of the ocean. Soft robots working underwater can better mimic the movement characteristics of marine life in the hope of achieving more complex underwater tasks. The main focus of this paper is to classify different types of underwater organisms according to their common motion modes, focusing on the achievements of some bionic mechanisms in different functional fields that have imitated various motion modes underwater in recent years (e.g., the underwater sucking glove, the underwater Gripper, and the self-powered soft robot). The development of various task types (e.g., grasping, adhesive, driving or swimming, and sensing functions) and mechanism realization forms of the underwater soft robot are described based on this article.

Dataset Information

A retrofit sensing strategy for soft fluidic robots.

Publications

A retrofit sensing strategy for soft fluidic robots.

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