Kang Minchae, Han Ye-Ji, Han Min-Woo
Advanced Manufacturing & Soft Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dongguk University, 30 Pildong-ro 1, Jung-gu, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea.
Advanced Manufacturing & Soft Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical, Robotics and Energy Engineering, Dongguk University, 30 Pildong-ro 1, Jung-gu, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2023 Feb 23;15(5):1126. doi: 10.3390/polym15051126.
Soft actuators that execute diverse motions have recently been proposed to improve the usability of soft robots. Nature-inspired actuators, in particular, are emerging as a means of accomplishing efficient motions based on the flexibility of natural creatures. In this research, we present an actuator capable of executing multi-degree-of-freedom motions that mimics the movement of an elephant's trunk. Shape memory alloys (SMAs) that actively react to external stimuli were integrated into actuators constructed of soft polymers to imitate the flexible body and muscles of an elephant's trunk. The amount of electrical current provided to each SMA was adjusted for each channel to achieve the curving motion of the elephant's trunk, and the deformation characteristics were observed by varying the quantity of current supplied to each SMA. It was feasible to stably lift and lower a cup filled with water by using the operation of wrapping and lifting objects, as well as effectively performing the lifting task of surrounding household items of varying weights and forms. The designed actuator is a soft gripper that incorporates a flexible polymer and an SMA to imitate the flexible and efficient gripping action of an elephant trunk, and its fundamental technology is expected to be used as a safety-enhancing gripper that requires environmental adaptation.
最近，人们提出了能够执行各种动作的软驱动器，以提高软机器人的可用性。特别是，受自然启发的驱动器正作为一种基于自然生物的灵活性来实现高效动作的手段而兴起。在本研究中，我们展示了一种能够执行多自由度动作的驱动器，它模仿大象鼻子的运动。将对外部刺激有积极反应的形状记忆合金（SMA）集成到由软聚合物构成的驱动器中，以模仿大象鼻子的柔性身体和肌肉。针对每个通道调整提供给每个SMA的电流量，以实现大象鼻子的弯曲动作，并通过改变提供给每个SMA的电流量来观察变形特性。通过使用包裹和提起物体的操作，稳定地提起和放下装满水的杯子以及有效地执行提起各种重量和形状的家居用品的任务是可行的。所设计的驱动器是一种软夹爪，它结合了柔性聚合物和SMA，以模仿大象鼻子灵活而高效的抓握动作，其基础技术有望用作需要环境适应性的安全增强型夹爪。
