Design, Manufacturing and Open-Loop Control of a Soft Pneumatic Arm

Abstract

Soft Robots distinguish themselves from traditional robots by embracing flexible kinematics. Because of their recent emergence, there exist numerous uncharted territories, including novel actuators, manufacturing processes, and advanced control methods. This research is centred on the design, fabrication, and control of a pneumatic soft robot. The principal objective is to develop a modular soft robot featuring with multiple segments, each one of three degrees of freedom. This yields to tubular structure with five independent degrees of freedom, enabling motion across three spatial dimensions. Physical construction leverages tin-cured silicone and a wax casting method, refined through iterative processes. 3D-printed PLA moulds, filled with silicone, yield the desired model, while bladder-like structures, are formed within using solidified paraffin wax positive moulds. For control, an empirically fine-tuned open-loop system is adopted. The project culminates in rigorous testing bending ability and weight carrying capacity and possible applications are discussed.