Situation
Soft robotics is an emerging field that focuses on robots constructed from compliant materials, enabling safer interaction with complex environments and humans. Originally, many soft robotic actuators are made using silicone moulding techniques. These techniques can be time-consuming and require manual post-processing. Recently, additive manufacturing methods such as fused filament fabrication (FFF) that use flexible materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) have gained traction as an alternative manufacturing method. This way of manufacturing enables fast prototyping and allows for more complex internal structures. However, the mechanical behaviour and performance of those actuators strongly depend on their internal geometry and printing parameters. In this quite new field, the relationship between actuator geometry, deformation behaviour and the resulting locomotion performance of soft crawling robots is not yet fully understood. Improving the understanding of these relationships could contribute to practical design guidelines for the creation of 3D-printed soft robots.
Challenge
The challenge is the design of an effective soft robotic locomotion system. This is challenging because the deformation of soft materials, actuator geometry and interaction with the environment all influence the result, motion. Small changes made in the geometry of the actuator can affect the bending angle, force generation and response time. Many existing systems exist, but most designs are very situation-specific. Systematic studies linking actuator geometry to locomotion performance are still limited, especially for soft actuators manufactured using 3d printers with the goal of movement. The challenge of this project is then to investigate how the geometry of pneumatically actuated soft actuators influences their behaviour and ultimately the locomotion performance. The goal is to identify design aspects that enable effective and reliable locomotion using a reproducible 3d printing process.
During this project, multiple soft actuators will be produced using 3d printing. These different actuators with their different geometries will be designed, printed and evaluated under pneumatic actuation. The performance will be characterised through measurements such as bending angle, response time and deformation. Based on these results, a soft crawling robot prototype will be realised with the best actuator design. This robot will also be tested to evaluate locomotion performance.