Pouch Motors: Printable Soft Actuators Integrated with Computational Design
Name
Niiyama-2015-Pouch Motors_ Printable Soft Actu.pdf
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Author(s)
Niiyama, Ryuma
An, Byoungkwon
Rus, Daniela
Sun, Xu
Sung, Cynthia Rueyi
Kim, Sangbae
Date Issued
May 2015
Journal
Soft Robotics
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Citation
Niiyama, Ryuma, Xu Sun, Cynthia Sung, Byoungkwon An, Daniela Rus, and Sangbae Kim. “Pouch Motors: Printable Soft Actuators Integrated with Computational Design.” Soft Robotics 2, no. 2 (June 2015): 59–70. © 2015 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
We propose pouch motors, a new family of printable soft actuators integrated with computational design. The pouch motor consists of one or more inflatable gas-tight bladders made of sheet materials. This printable actuator is designed and fabricated in a planar fashion. It allows both easy prototyping and mass fabrication of affordable robotic systems. We provide theoretical models of the actuators compared with the experimental data. The measured maximum stroke and tension of the linear pouch motor are up to 28% and 100 N, respectively. The measured maximum range of motion and torque of the angular pouch motor are up to 80° and 0.2 N, respectively. We also develop an algorithm that automatically generates the patterns of the pouches and their fluidic channels. A custom-built fabrication machine streamlines the automated process from design to fabrication. We demonstrate a computer-generated life-sized hand that can hold a foam ball and perform gestures with 12 pouch motors, which can be fabricated in 15 min.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1089/soro.2014.0023
