Soft robotics refers to robots with soft bodies and/or end-effectors that can comply to a shape or terrain, making them adaptable and safe to interact with irregular, fragile objects and humans. Soft robotics is a relatively new field of research. Because this subject is rather young, people are often not familiar with it even though it has been a rapidly growing field of research since 2008. Because of this lack of awareness, there exist a few to no DIY kits related to the subject. To introduce the public to soft robotics and pneumatics, the purpose of this GP is to develop a DIY pneumatic robot arm kit with a soft robotics end effector, that teaches the consumer about (soft) robotics, pneumatics, engineering, and coding. Because soft robotics and pneumatic motors are both compliant, and thus safer for human interaction, they seem like a perfect combination to introduce beginners to robotics.
To guide this project, the main research question has been formulated as:
“How can soft robotics and pneumatic motors be used to create an introductory educational Do-It-Yourself robot arm kit?”
And to explore this research question in a more structured way, it has been divided into the following sub-research questions (SRQ):
SRQ 1: What is the current state of the art for robotic DIY kits?
SRQ 2: What is the current state of the art for soft robotics end-effectors?
SRQ 3: How can engineering topics best be explained using a DIY kit as a medium?
SRQ 4: How can pneumatic motors actuate the robot arm?