8. Soft robotics

via GIPHY

Research & Notes

This week has been an exciting, we dived into the world of soft robotics
=> combination of soft materials (such as silicones, elastomers, and hydrogels) + traditional hardware => opening up new possibilities in design and function

=> Tradicional robot: rigid, hard materials (metal or plastics), with complex mechanical systems

=> S.R are built to deform and adapt similar to biological organisms made of flexible and bendable materials (fluid and natural movement) flexible

=> allows SR to perform tasks that tradi robots cannot: stretch, squish, and bend, which makes them ideal for tasks that need flexibility and a gentle touch

=> With soft grippers, flexible joints and pneumatic systems, these machines recreate biological motions

=> applications: healthcare and wearable technology, where gentle handling is crucial.

Down to work!

For this assigment I wanted to do my first aproach to simple actuators in order to understand movements and mechanisims in SR. I got inspire in origamy works and inflatable structures.

Garland

For my first sample I made a inflatable garland

The process was easy and the result was nice, the garland poped up with air.

Articial muscle

For my second sample I based my experimentation on the artificial muscle. But instead of doing the same way I worked with a single longer silicone tube and watched it move with air. I also tried the tube with a fabric but it didnt work.

Intflatable structure

For my last sample I wanted to do a inflatables structure, wich is still in progress due to the fail of my silicone mold wich didnt has a lot of air filtrations