Soft Robotic Blocks: Introducing SoBL, a Fast-Build Modularized Design Block

This article presents a new, modularized design concept based on a bottom-up approach to assembly. This concept enables the structures and motions of soft robots to be rapidly revised to create new designs that can accomplish different tasks. We designed three basic types of pneumatically actuated s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE robotics & automation magazine 2016-09, Vol.23 (3), p.30-41
Main Authors: Lee, Jun-Young, Kim, Woong-Bae, Choi, Woo-Young, Cho, Kyu-Jin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Maintenance engineering
Modular construction
Morphological operations
Soft robotics
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Summary:This article presents a new, modularized design concept based on a bottom-up approach to assembly. This concept enables the structures and motions of soft robots to be rapidly revised to create new designs that can accomplish different tasks. We designed three basic types of pneumatically actuated soft modules, called soft robotic blocks (SoBL), that implement a single motion each (translation, bending, or twisting), which, when assembled, create structures capable of various motions. We introduce three types of connection mechanisms-screw thread, push fitting, and bistable junction-that can be used with any of the modules and that are designed to make for easy assembly and disassembly. Units were fabricated by multimaterial threedimensional (3-D) printing or silicone molding.
ISSN:1070-9932
1558-223X
DOI:10.1109/MRA.2016.2580479