Heung Kelvin HoLam, Lei Ting, Liang Kaixin, Xu Jiye, Seo Joonoh, Li Heng
Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2024 Mar 4;9(3):160. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics9030160.
Soft robots that incorporate elastomeric matrices and flexible materials have gained attention for their unique capabilities, surpassing those of rigid robots, with increased degrees of freedom and movement. Research has highlighted the adaptability, agility, and sensitivity of soft robotic actuators in various applications, including industrial grippers, locomotive robots, wearable assistive devices, and more. It has been demonstrated that bellow-shaped actuators exhibit greater efficiency compared to uniformly shaped fiber-reinforced actuators as they require less input pressure to achieve a comparable range of motion (ROM). Nevertheless, the mathematical quantification of the performance of bellow-based soft fluidic actuators is not well established due to their inherent non-uniform and complex structure, particularly when compared to fiber-reinforced actuators. Furthermore, the design of bellow dimensions is mostly based on intuition without standardized guidance and criteria. This article presents a comprehensive description of the quasi-static analytical modeling process used to analyze bellow-based soft actuators with linear extension. The results of the models are validated through finite element method (FEM) simulations and experimental testing, considering elongation in free space under fluidic pressurization. This study facilitates the determination of optimal geometrical parameters for bellow-based actuators, allowing for effective biomimetic robot design optimization and performance prediction.
结合弹性体矩阵和柔性材料的软体机器人因其独特的能力而受到关注，其自由度和运动程度超过了刚性机器人。研究突出了软体机器人致动器在各种应用中的适应性、敏捷性和敏感性，包括工业夹具、移动机器人、可穿戴辅助设备等等。已经证明，波纹管形致动器与均匀形状的纤维增强致动器相比表现出更高的效率，因为它们在实现相当的运动范围（ROM）时需要更少的输入压力。然而，由于其固有的不均匀和复杂结构，基于波纹管的软流体致动器性能的数学量化尚未得到很好的确立，特别是与纤维增强致动器相比。此外，波纹管尺寸的设计大多基于直觉，缺乏标准化的指导和标准。本文全面描述了用于分析具有线性延伸的基于波纹管的软致动器的准静态分析建模过程。通过有限元方法（FEM）模拟和实验测试对模型结果进行了验证，考虑了在流体加压下自由空间中的伸长。这项研究有助于确定基于波纹管的致动器的最佳几何参数，从而实现有效的仿生机器人设计优化和性能预测。
