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12. Soft robotics

Key Notes

  • inflatables
  • artificial muscles
  • movements
  • airflow
  • inflatable art

Soft Robots are systems made of compliant, or flexible materials, such as silicone, rubber, or gels to bend, twist, and deform in a way that is similar to living organisms.

Soft actuators are systems that are compliant and flexible. Used for shape changes, joining, and locomotion: Fluidic, Biological, Thermal, Chemical, Magnetic

Brainstorming

I was really excited to see how inflatables are related with art, fashion and design in general

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Check out the weekly assignment [here](http://fabricademy.fabcloud.io/handbook/)

Heat Transfer Vinyl

We had some exercises using vinyl sheets, baking paper and tranferred air through a tube so we could see a certain movement

vinyl 1.jpeg

vinyl 2.jpeg

vinyl 2.jpeg

Vinyl Exercise

I started sketching and playing with the design and different shapes to test the movement

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Using the Heat Press Machine to place the vinyl in order to seal the two pieces of vinyl.

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  • Important Notes

  • the vinyl will be sealed where there no baking paper, creating an air chamber

  • the baking paper will let the object to inflate

The result of the vinyl heart didn't work out cause I did not place properly the baking paper. I also should lower the heat when using the heat pressure machine

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Silicone

Using Dragon Skin Silicone, we did some exercises to test out the techinque

  • pour liquid substunce A into B
  • avoid air bubbles
  • let it dry for 5 hours

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Heart 3D Mould

I then used Rhino to create my own mould shape.

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  • 3D Printing

3d making heart.jpeg

3d making heart.jpeg

Bio Silicone

Tried the bio silicone recipe, gelatine based followed by Julija Karas page. I added gelatine, water, glycerol and salt.

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  • I added too much glycerol which made the material very flexible and sticky. There where also too many bubbles. I would like to try it again with a different recipe.

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Silicone Heart

I used the dragon skin silicone again which dries faster to create the design and inserted mica powder fluid with a syringe

SILICONE HEART.jpg

Results

Overall, I should have inserted the fluids with a different syringe or apply less pressure and glue the two silicone moulds properly

check out the final result here

Tools

  • Rhino 7
  • Ultimate Cura
  • 3D Print