Increasing Payload Capacity of a Continuum Soft Robot Using Bio-Inspired Ossicle Reinforcement-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Increasing Payload Capacity of a Continuum Soft Robot Using Bio-Inspired Ossicle Reinforcement

Published:2024-07-12 Issue:7 Volume:13 Page:265
ISSN:2076-0825
Container-title:Actuators
language:en
Short-container-title:Actuators

Author:

Garbulinski Jacek¹^ORCID,Balasankula Sai C.¹,Wereley Norman M.¹^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Abstract

Soft continuum robots, characterized by their dexterous and compliant nature, often face limitations due to buckling under small loads. This study explores the enhancement of axial performance in soft robots intrinsically actuated with extensile fluidic artificial muscles (EFAMs) through the incorporation of bio-inspired radial supports, or ossicles. By conducting quasi-static force response experiments under varying pressure conditions (103.4–517.1 kPa), and a modified Euler column buckling model, we demonstrate that ossicles significantly increase the robots’ resistance to buckling, thereby extending their application scope in payload-carrying tasks. These findings not only underscore the effectiveness of ossicle reinforcement in improving structural robustness but also pave the way for future research to optimize soft robot design for enhanced performance.

Funder

U.S. Office of Naval Research

Publisher

MDPI AG

Link

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/13/7/265/pdf

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