Crafting a uniform method for customizing soft robots
In a groundbreaking development, researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have unveiled an automated process for designing and manufacturing customised soft robots. This innovative workflow, published in Advanced Materials Technologies, promises to revolutionise the field of soft robotics.
The team, led by Dr. Valdivia y Alvarado, has integrated topology optimisation (TO) and embedded 3D printing to create soft robots with optimised mechanical properties. Traditionally, most soft robots have been fabricated through manual casting techniques, limiting the complexity and geometries that can be achieved.
The new method, however, employs mathematical models to design bespoke structures within a set of constraints, improving the quality and performance of the soft robots. This approach allows for repeatability and the creation of more complex designs, a significant leap forward in the field of soft robotics.
Dr. Valdivia y Alvarado's team has demonstrated the versatility of their method by applying it to a swimming autonomous robot inspired by batoids. The soft robot with the optimised composite fins was 50% faster than its counterpart with the traditionally casted soft fin. Additionally, it turned roughly 30% faster compared to the soft fin and had the smallest turning radius among the three robots, making it better at maneuvering through water.
The integrated workflow automates two key steps in the process of creating customised soft robots. By tailoring the electrical conductivity of certain portions of the structure, the team proposes using topology optimisation to design soft robots for various applications.
Moreover, the method is not limited to one type of soft robot. It can be applied to other kinds of soft robots, allowing their mechanical properties to be tailored in an accessible manner. This opens up possibilities for customising optical, thermal, electrical, and other physico-chemical properties of soft robots, further expanding their potential applications.
The study, which can be accessed using the DOI: 10.1002/admt.202100361, was also a collaborative effort with researcher Christoph Keplinger from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart, Germany. Keplinger contributed to developing an automated process chain for designing and manufacturing customised soft robots.
This advancement in soft robotics is expected to have wide applications in sensing, movement, object grasping and manipulation, paving the way for a new era in robotics.
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