M-SCPA · Development of Soft, Efficient, Powerful, and Rapid Artificial Muscles for the Design of a Soft Wearable Haptic Exoskeleton
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-05-01 → 2023-04-30
- EU contribution
- €191,149
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Development of Soft, Efficient, Powerful, and Rapid Artificial Muscles for the Design of a Soft Wearable Haptic Exoskeleton
Soft robotics is a new branch of robotics that aims at creating robots that are compliant. The robot's compliance is usually obtained by using materials that are intrinsically soft, or through particular assembly techniques of rigid materials. Simply put, we can use soft polymers such akin to natural rubber to design robots, or more rigid materials such as high strength fibers but knit them in a way that make a piece of fabric capable of deformation. Soft robotics aims at creating safer, more adaptable and cheaper robots. Because they are designed differently, soft robots do not aim at solving the same issues as traditional robots. Traditional robots usually operate in factories and perform highly repetitive tasks. For example, in a factory lifting and assembling a car frame. Soft robotics rather aim at bringing robotics closer to our everyday life and to solve problems that previously could not be addressed by robotics. Our environment is filled with soft devices. The clothes & shoes you wear, the mattress you sleep on, the chair you sit on or the bag you carry. All these things are soft precisely because our bodies are relatively soft as well. Sleeping on a hard floor is uncomfortable. Wearing a medieval plated armor is also probably both unpractical and uncomfortable. A good example of where soft robotics is relevant is when someone is wearing an exoskeleton. Indeed, wearing an exoskeleton is akin to wearing a robot. However, if this exoskeleton was solely made of metal, it would also be heavy, uncomfortable and probably quite dangerous. It follows then that exoskeletons are an application where soft robotics is relevant. Other relevant applications encompass healthcare and personal assistance, where robots are in close contact with humans, and dexterous manipulation, where robots may have to grab various objects without breaking them or letting them fall. There are, however, numerous challenges before soft robotics is ubiquitous. One of them is creating soft actuators. We know how to manufacture actuators and motors out of hard materials. However, these technologies are largely not applicable to soft materials. This proposal's main goals were i) to design a new soft actuator boasting improved performances, and ii) to use this actuator in a soft wearable exoskeleton used to transmit tactile information. The proposal was divided into 4 different objectives: -Designing High Power Density, High Bandwidth Actuators -Designing Soft Actuators -Designing Compact & Efficient Actuators -Manufacturing a Soft Wearable Haptic Exoskeleton
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Soft robotics is a growing research field promising to apply automation to new areas of our societies such as medicine, agriculture and exploration. However, since soft robotics is a relatively recent research field, many fundamental components of soft robots still demonstrate disappointing capabilities. Indeed, actuation is one of the most vital requirement of robots but it is yet to be solved adequately. This proposal describes the development and characterization of a new soft actuator. We call these innovative soft actuator “M-SCPAs”, as they are inspired by recent advances in Magnetoactive polymeric fiber (MAEs) and Supercoiled Polymer Actuators (SCPAs). M-SCPAs will be manufacThis proposal aims at creating a new type of soft actuator. Soft actuators are a key component of the soft robotics research field, with applications in medical, agricultural or wearable technologies. We propose to use “M-SCPAs”, named after the 2 key distinct concepts used in their design.-The first key concept is the use of a magnetoactive (M-) polymeric fiber. Inspired by recent advances in magnetoactive materials, we propose to embed strongly magnetized ferromagnetic particles within an extruded polymer fiber. When exposed to a magnetic field, the particles will internally pivot, and the fiber contract. -The second key concept is the use of an helical structure similar to the one used by “Supercoiled Polymer Actuators” (SCPAs). The twisting of a polymeric fiber creates a three-dimensional structure akin to a typical steel spring. From this structure is derived inherent softness, convenient form factor, as well as increased contractile capabilities. The proposal details the combination of these two ideas to create a new type of actuator overcoming each of the respective original actuators limitations. The proposal also proposes the demonstration of these actuators through the manufacture of a soft wearable haptic device powered and its subsequent use in an haptic feedback study.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE · LausanneCoordinatorSwitzerland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union