The emerging field of soft robotics often relies on soft actuators powered by pressurized fluids to obtain a variety of movements. Strategic incorporation of soft actuators can greatly increase the degree of freedom of soft robots thereby bestowing them with a range of movements. Balloon actuators are extensively used to achieve various motions such as bending, twisting, and expanding. A detailed understanding of how material properties and architectural designs of balloon actuators influence their motions will greatly enable the application of these soft actuators. In this study, we developed a framework involving experimental and theoretical analyses, including computational analysis, delineating material and geometrical parameters of balloon actuators to their bending motions. Furthermore, we provide a simple analytical model to predict and control the degree of bending of these actuators. The described analytical tool could be used to predict the actuating function of balloon actuators and thereby help generate optimal actuators for functions which require control over the extent and direction of actuation.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9528995 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2022.991748 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Human Applications of the Anstadt Cup: Implications for Non-Blood-Contacting Biventricular Support.
Ann Thorac Surg Short Rep
December 2024
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Background: Direct mechanical ventricular actuation (DMVA) with the Anstadt cup is effective for non-blood-contacting biventricular support. Pneumatic regulation of a silicone device augments ventricular pump function. Vacuum attachment facilitates diastolic augmentation critical for biventricular support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDesign and Analytical Modeling of a Dumbbell-Shaped Balloon Anchoring Actuator for Safe and Efficient Locomotion Inside Gastrointestinal Tract.
Soft Robot
December 2024
Multiscale Medical Robotics Centre Ltd., The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
Article Synopsis
- - Colorectal cancer is highly prevalent, accounting for nearly 10% of cancers and 9.2% of annual deaths, making improved detection methods critical.
- - Robotic "front-wheel" navigating colonoscopes provide a less painful alternative to traditional methods by reducing discomfort during examinations through enhanced anchoring technologies.
- - The study introduces a dumbbell-shaped balloon anchoring actuator (DBAA) that improves anchoring force while minimizing trauma to the colonic wall, with experimental results supporting its effectiveness compared to traditional techniques.
Crawling, climbing, perching, and flying by FiBa soft robots.
Sci Robot
July 2024
Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore, Singapore.
This paper introduces an approach to fabricating lightweight, untethered soft robots capable of diverse biomimetic locomotion. Untethering soft robotics from electrical or pneumatic power remains one of the prominent challenges within the field. The development of functional untethered soft robotic systems hinges heavily on mitigating their weight; however, the conventional weight of pneumatic network actuators (pneu-nets) in soft robots has hindered untethered operations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonlinear dynamics of two electromechanical arms acting discontinuously on a balloon under the action of a sinusoidal excitation.
Heliyon
June 2024
Lab. Modelling and Simulation in Engineering, Biomimetics and Prototypes, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, PO Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Compression systems based electromechanical actuators require a good understanding of their dynamics for a better performance. This paper deals with the study of the nonlinear dynamics of an electromechanical system with two rotating arms subjected to a sinusoidal excitation for fluid compression purposes. The physical model integrating two balloons to be compressed by the arms alternately is presented and the mathematical equations traducing their dynamics are established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMXene-Enabled Pneumatic Multiscale Shape Morphing for Adaptive, Programmable and Multimodal Radar-infrared Compatible Camouflage.
Adv Mater
June 2024
College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, P. R. China.
Achieving radar-infrared compatible camouflage with dynamic adaptability has been a long-sought goal, but faces significant challenges owing to the limited dispersion relations of conventional material systems operating in different wavelength ranges. Here, this work proposes the concept of pneumatic multiscale shape morphing and design a periodically arranged pneumatic unit consisting of MXene-based morphable conductors and intake platforms. During gas actuation, the morphable conductor transforms centimeter-scale 2D flat sheets into 3D balloon shapes to enhance microwave absorption behavior, and also reconfigures micrometer-scale MXene wrinkles into smooth planes in combination with cavity-induced low heat transfer to minimize infrared (IR) signatures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!