Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations
The diverse set of traits that soft-rigid robots possess have the potential to be applied towards a multitude of applications that require both strength and flexibility. This thesis looks at two kinds of soft-rigid robotic systems: the first is a series assembly of soft-rigid modules with stiffness...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156820 |
| _version_ | 1811075345456037888 |
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| author | Sologuren, Emily R. |
| author2 | Rus, Daniela |
| author_facet | Rus, Daniela Sologuren, Emily R. |
| author_sort | Sologuren, Emily R. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The diverse set of traits that soft-rigid robots possess have the potential to be applied towards a multitude of applications that require both strength and flexibility. This thesis looks at two kinds of soft-rigid robotic systems: the first is a series assembly of soft-rigid modules with stiffness modulation to form a soft-rigid robotic arm, and the second system is a parallel assembly of rigid bones casted into silicone to form a passive soft-rigid flipper for a robotic sea turtle. We first introduce a new class of soft-rigid modules that can modulate their stiffness on a continuum through tendon-driven actuation and the integration of "soft" and "rigid" components. Their serial assembly form a self-standing, soft-rigid robotic arm (SRRA). When coupled with an adapted soft PD+ controller, we generate trajectories that demonstrate the manipulator’s ability to deform for maneuvering tasks and stiffen for load-bearing tasks. The robotic sea turtle’s parallel, soft-rigid flippers emulate those of its animal counterpart. To leverage this structure for underwater locomotion, we look at a CPG-coupled reinforcement learning framework to optimize for a forward swimming gait. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:04:35Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/156820 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:04:35Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1568202024-09-17T03:51:42Z Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations Sologuren, Emily R. Rus, Daniela Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science The diverse set of traits that soft-rigid robots possess have the potential to be applied towards a multitude of applications that require both strength and flexibility. This thesis looks at two kinds of soft-rigid robotic systems: the first is a series assembly of soft-rigid modules with stiffness modulation to form a soft-rigid robotic arm, and the second system is a parallel assembly of rigid bones casted into silicone to form a passive soft-rigid flipper for a robotic sea turtle. We first introduce a new class of soft-rigid modules that can modulate their stiffness on a continuum through tendon-driven actuation and the integration of "soft" and "rigid" components. Their serial assembly form a self-standing, soft-rigid robotic arm (SRRA). When coupled with an adapted soft PD+ controller, we generate trajectories that demonstrate the manipulator’s ability to deform for maneuvering tasks and stiffen for load-bearing tasks. The robotic sea turtle’s parallel, soft-rigid flippers emulate those of its animal counterpart. To leverage this structure for underwater locomotion, we look at a CPG-coupled reinforcement learning framework to optimize for a forward swimming gait. M.Eng. 2024-09-16T13:51:09Z 2024-09-16T13:51:09Z 2024-05 2024-07-11T14:36:36.454Z Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156820 In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted Copyright retained by author(s) https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/ application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Sologuren, Emily R. Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations |
| title | Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations |
| title_full | Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations |
| title_fullStr | Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations |
| title_short | Hybrid Soft-Rigid Robots: Investigating Series and Parallel Configurations |
| title_sort | hybrid soft rigid robots investigating series and parallel configurations |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156820 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sologurenemilyr hybridsoftrigidrobotsinvestigatingseriesandparallelconfigurations |