Week 11: Soft Robotics

Status: Documented

04 Dec, 2018

This week will focus in the study of a specific field in robotics, the soft robotics. Unlike rigid robots we are mostly used to, soft bodied robots have similarities and performance characteristics similar to living organisms or the human body. Soft-robotics are based in Bio-inspired design or biomimicry and have applications in wearables, rehabilitation prosthetics, surgical robots, rescuing and others. We will focus on the fabrication of soft actuators, sensors and grippers using novel materials, artificial muscles and performative locomotion design.


Objectives | Tasks at hand


On your left you can see one of my earlier assignments experiments with Nitinol. Its an Actuator swatch from my week 9 assignment. For this week, I will be designing an exercising/yoga relaxation chair prototype which can be used for recreational purpose of doing balancing activities in different yoga poses. etc. This is just a small prototype where we can ssume that this can be folded and kept , this can be utlised in emergencies.

Me: Lets go for a Movie.
Dad: Everything after you are done finishing your documentation. Concentrate on doing that. We can wait till April.
Me:You indeed are my actual and truely caring + intelligent soft robot ;-)>

Conversation with my dad. He understands so well that its difficult to run a design firm while simultaneously undergoing courses like this due to dearth of time after the firm's working hours. Thanks dad for all the support.



Tips and Tricks


Info Panel

Before Laser cutting or Vinyl cutting a Fabric, its very important to make sure, there are as less of creases as possible on the fabric. We want the fabric stretched upto a reasonable amount to lay it flat.

Warning Notes

A soft fabric is harder to circular fit. Treating it with starch to make it hard and then joining the modules to be washed post that is an effective time saving technque for such inhouse small-scale projects.

Danger Panel

Fabric is the easiest media after cardboard and vinyl/sheets to catch fire if the laser is : 1) Out of Focus; 2) Speed is too slow; 3) Power is too high; 4) Fabric is not flat.
Some fabrics (Course and dry) are prone to catch fire. Always stay alert Laser cutting.

Success Panel

The Success of Laser cutting on fabric is dependent on three factors: 1) Honeycomb bed and effective exhaust; 2) A longer focal length of the lens for more creased fabrics; 3) An effective power : speed ratio

F.A.Q.

I usually ask the Global team or myself questions relevant to the week's task.I plan to use this section to help me document for our lab's next batch of students important questions and their answers discussed during Global review/Recitation.

The cut parts of the lace is a part of the design as the 3d spatial arrangement of the hands and legs of the module are specifically made to slide in these sparkling ornamental pieces. If I alternatively slide odd ones in opposite direction, it gives one shape; if I rotate all those by 180, gives another shape. These modules can be seperately dyed in seperate colors too, Can be worn as a skirt as well.
I initially had a misunderstnading on what seamless means. So no, its not seamless in true sense, but I did design end pieces that help close any open modules towards the edges and if its continued throughtout, it does become Seamless.

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