Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Mechatronics Equipment Technology, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China.
School of Computer and Information Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.
Sensors (Basel). 2022 Jul 13;22(14):5221. doi: 10.3390/s22145221.
This investigation presents a novel soft-robotic pneumatic gripper that consists of three newly proposed soft actuators. The newly proposed soft actuators adopt a composite structure of two kinds of pneumatic networks which can work independently and play their respective roles in grasping. The design, analyses, and fabrication of the proposed soft actuators are introduced systematically, and then an experimental system is built to examine the output characteristics of the soft actuator. Compared with the conventional single pneumatic network-based soft actuator, the newly proposed one combines the advantages of the two pneumatic networks, and it employs a larger output force and retains desired bending deformation ability at the same time. The grasping performance test results show that the new soft gripper constituted by the proposed soft actuators has high reliability and stability whether in pinching or in enveloping grasping, and it is also competent for grasping heavier or irregular objects, demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of the newly proposed soft actuator, and giving it a good and wide application prospect.
本研究提出了一种由三个新型软体气动驱动器组成的新型软体气动夹持器。新型软体气动驱动器采用两种气动网络的复合结构，它们可以独立工作，并在夹持中发挥各自的作用。本文系统地介绍了新型软体气动驱动器的设计、分析和制造，并建立了一个实验系统来检验软体气动驱动器的输出特性。与传统的基于单个气动网络的软体气动驱动器相比，新型驱动器结合了两种气动网络的优点，同时具有更大的输出力，并保持了所需的弯曲变形能力。夹持性能测试结果表明，由新型软体气动驱动器构成的新型软体夹持器在夹持或包裹夹持时具有高可靠性和稳定性，并且能够夹持更重或不规则的物体，验证了新型软体气动驱动器的可行性和有效性，具有良好的广泛应用前景。
