12. Soft robotics¶
Research¶
This theme is very fascinating because it can not only imitate living organisms from nature for aesthetic features as it can also improve lives by incorporating biological features into functional textile materials in adaptive clothing for people with disabilities.
As technologically soft robotics is a field where the design and fabrication of the robots are composed of flexible or fluffy materials, and I didn't work with Arduino previously, I have developed basic exercises with soft materials such as heat-transfer vinyl and silicone. At the same time, I help my colleague Lia fill the materials in acrylic and TPU moulds for her work.
References & Inspiration¶
From Youtube¶
Process and workflow¶
During the process I used some websites and resources to make similar exercises:
* [Saskia Helinska](https://class.textile-academy.org/2022/saskia-helinska/assignments/week12.html ) FABTEXTILES, IAAC FAB LAB BARCELONA, SPAIN 2021/2022
* [Harrison Young ](https://youtu.be/gPYjo-W2ctU)
Heat Transfer Vinyl¶
The final model [^1] was obtained after the first failure done.
I designed my inflatable design, inspired by a green leaf, taking into account the air channels. Then I redesign part of that image for baking paper, the material that would be inside between both vinyl layers. After cutting the vinyl and the baking paper, I iron both materials on the shiny side to stick to each other.
Silicone¶
This model [^1] was obtained following some steps of * Harrison Young.
! [Trying to put air in one channel]
...