Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks
Abstract Soft robots are of increasing interest as they can cope with challenges that are poorly addressed by conventional rigid‐body robots (e.g., limited flexibility). However, due to their flexible nature, the soft robots can be particularly prone to exploit modular designs for enhancing their re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Advanced Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203217 |
| _version_ | 1811179914955587584 |
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| author | Mohamed G. B. Atia Abdelkhalick Mohammad Andres Gameros Dragos Axinte Iain Wright |
| author_facet | Mohamed G. B. Atia Abdelkhalick Mohammad Andres Gameros Dragos Axinte Iain Wright |
| author_sort | Mohamed G. B. Atia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Soft robots are of increasing interest as they can cope with challenges that are poorly addressed by conventional rigid‐body robots (e.g., limited flexibility). However, due to their flexible nature, the soft robots can be particularly prone to exploit modular designs for enhancing their reconfigurability, that is, a concept which, to date, has not been explored. Therefore, this paper presents a design of soft building blocks that can be disassembled and reconfigured to build different modular configurations of soft robots such as robotic fingers and continuum robots. First, a numerical model is developed for the constitutive building block allowing to understand their behavior versus design parameters, then a shape optimization algorithm is developed to permit the construction of different types of soft robots based on these soft building blocks. To validate the approach, 2D and 3D case studies of bio‐inspired designs are demonstrated: first, soft fingers are introduced as a case study for grasping complex and delicate objects. Second, an elephant trunk is used for grasping a flower. Third, a walking legged robot. These case studies prove that the proposed modular building approach makes it easier to build and reconfigure different types of soft robots with multiple complex shapes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:41:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aadca630619a400f8e79bff3da5c685e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2198-3844 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:41:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-aadca630619a400f8e79bff3da5c685e2022-12-22T04:39:30ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442022-11-01933n/an/a10.1002/advs.202203217Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building BlocksMohamed G. B. Atia0Abdelkhalick Mohammad1Andres Gameros2Dragos Axinte3Iain Wright4Rolls‐Royce UTC in Manufacturing and On‐Wing Technology The University of Nottingham Nottingham NG8 1BB UKRolls‐Royce UTC in Manufacturing and On‐Wing Technology The University of Nottingham Nottingham NG8 1BB UKRolls‐Royce UTC in Manufacturing and On‐Wing Technology The University of Nottingham Nottingham NG8 1BB UKRolls‐Royce UTC in Manufacturing and On‐Wing Technology The University of Nottingham Nottingham NG8 1BB UKRolls‐Royce plc Derby DE24 8BJ UKAbstract Soft robots are of increasing interest as they can cope with challenges that are poorly addressed by conventional rigid‐body robots (e.g., limited flexibility). However, due to their flexible nature, the soft robots can be particularly prone to exploit modular designs for enhancing their reconfigurability, that is, a concept which, to date, has not been explored. Therefore, this paper presents a design of soft building blocks that can be disassembled and reconfigured to build different modular configurations of soft robots such as robotic fingers and continuum robots. First, a numerical model is developed for the constitutive building block allowing to understand their behavior versus design parameters, then a shape optimization algorithm is developed to permit the construction of different types of soft robots based on these soft building blocks. To validate the approach, 2D and 3D case studies of bio‐inspired designs are demonstrated: first, soft fingers are introduced as a case study for grasping complex and delicate objects. Second, an elephant trunk is used for grasping a flower. Third, a walking legged robot. These case studies prove that the proposed modular building approach makes it easier to build and reconfigure different types of soft robots with multiple complex shapes.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203217bioinspiredbuilding blocksmodularityreconfigurabilitysoft robots |
| spellingShingle | Mohamed G. B. Atia Abdelkhalick Mohammad Andres Gameros Dragos Axinte Iain Wright Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks Advanced Science bioinspired building blocks modularity reconfigurability soft robots |
| title | Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks |
| title_full | Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks |
| title_fullStr | Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks |
| title_short | Reconfigurable Soft Robots by Building Blocks |
| title_sort | reconfigurable soft robots by building blocks |
| topic | bioinspired building blocks modularity reconfigurability soft robots |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203217 |
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