A length-adjustable vacuum-powered artificial muscle for wearable physiotherapy assistance in infants
Name
frobt-10-1190387.pdf
Size
19.81 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
91de02c52c96049db8a09012c6eafefb
Author(s)
Gollob, Samuel Dutra
Mendoza, Mijaíl Jaén
Koo, Bon Ho Brandon
Centeno, Esteban
Vela, Emir A.
Roche, Ellen T.
Date Issued
May 4, 2023
Journal
Frontiers in Robotics and AI
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Citation
Gollob, Samuel Dutra, Mendoza, Mijaíl Jaén, Koo, Bon Ho Brandon, Centeno, Esteban, Vela, Emir A. et al. 2023. "A length-adjustable vacuum-powered artificial muscle for wearable physiotherapy assistance in infants." Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 10.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Soft pneumatic artificial muscles are increasingly popular in the field of soft robotics due to their light-weight, complex motions, and safe interfacing with humans. In this paper, we present a Vacuum-Powered Artificial Muscle (VPAM) with an adjustable operating length that offers adaptability throughout its use, particularly in settings with variable workspaces. To achieve the adjustable operating length, we designed the VPAM with a modular structure consisting of cells that can be clipped in a collapsed state and unclipped as desired. We then conducted a case study in infant physical therapy to demonstrate the capabilities of our actuator. We developed a dynamic model of the device and a model-informed open-loop control system, and validated their accuracy in a simulated patient setup. Our results showed that the VPAM maintains its performance as it grows. This is crucial in applications such as infant physical therapy where the device must adapt to the growth of the patient during a 6-month treatment regime without actuator replacement. The ability to adjust the length of the VPAM on demand offers a significant advantage over traditional fixed-length actuators, making it a promising solution for soft robotics. This actuator has potential for various applications that can leverage on demand expansion and shrinking, including exoskeletons, wearable devices, medical robots, and exploration robots.
Subjects
Artificial Intelligence
Computer Science Applications
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Medical Engineering & Science
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2023.1190387
