8. Soft robotics

Soft Robotics

Research

Fashion and artistic expression come together in wearable art. It transcends clothing, transforming clothing into means of expressing individuality and creativity.

Soft robots' compliance can increase their safety when operating in close proximity to humans, in contrast to rigid-bodied robots made of metal, ceramic, and hard plastics.

Comparing Soft Robots with Conventional Robotic Systems

Soft robots, made from flexible materials with methods like 3D printing, have potential uses in a number of fields. They make use of compliant pneumatic actuators, guaranteeing both adaptability in difficult situations and safety during human-robot interactions. They still struggle to exert enough effort and manage more difficult activities, though. Larger soft robots' scalability and possible hazards to people are called into question by the way they strike a balance between functionality and compliance.

Soft Robots' Sustainability in the Circular Economy

Soft robotics must incorporate sustainability in order to support the objectives of a circular economy. While certain soft robot materials are biodegradable, the recyclability of electronic components presents a problem. Individual robot components should be readily removable to improve recyclability. It is possible to discover new medical uses by employing sustainable and recyclable materials.

References & Inspiration

Ying Gao

Fashion designer Ying Gao, who is based in Montreal, is back with new robotic clothing, this time drawing influence from the metaverse and NFTs. Her latest outfits use silicone, glass, and precious metals to create a polymorphic material that mimics the effects of virtual clothes, giving the impression that they are pulsing and twisting like floral beings.

Philip Beesley

Philip Beesley is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and university professor. A practitioner of sculpture test beds and digital media art, his work is cited for his contributions to the field of responsive and interactive systems.

Hylozoic Soil is an interactive geotextile mesh that senses human occupants and responds with air movement, produced by peristaltic waves of motion within distributed fields of lightweight pores. Custom-manufactured components use parametric design and digital fabrication. Machine intelligence is embedded within networks of micro-controllers that coordinate arrays of proximity sensors and kinetic ‘actuators’. Arrays of capacitance-sensing whiskers and shape-memory alloy actuators are used to create a diffuse peristaltic pumping that pulls air and organic matter through the occupied space.

Tools

• Silicon
• Heat Vinyl
• Laser Cut machine
• Roland machine
• 3D Printer

Process and workflow

Heat Vinyl and Tracing Paper Layer Test for Soft Robotics¶

We experimented with multilayer vinyl and tracing paper to make flexible, inflatable components for this round of our soft robotics project. To keep the design minimal and concentrate on analyzing the flexibility and interplay of the materials.

Step 1

Using CorelDraw to Design the Shape

floral ornament inspired by Armenian patterns in CorelDRAW

• Start with the Central Axis Use the Rectangle Tool (F6) to draw the vertical stem in the center.

Convert it to curves: Right-click → Convert to Curves, so you can later bend or taper it if needed.

• Draw the Floral Body Use the Ellipse Tool (F7) to make the teardrop or almond-shaped form at the bottom.

Convert to curves, and use the Shape Tool (F10) to adjust the handles into a pointed tip (like a stylized pomegranate or drop).

Duplicate it and scale it down to create the inner contour.

• Create the Side Petals Use the Bezier Tool or Pen Tool to draw one half of the ornamental outline (the left or right side).

Include 3-4 flowing curves (like lobed leaf or stylized cloud edges).

After creating one side, Mirror (Ctrl+Shift+H) it and Weld both halves to form a symmetrical floral body.

• Combine All Elements

Arrange:

Center stem on top.

Main floral body in the center.

Teardrop form at the bottom (merged into the main shape).

Use Object > Shaping > Weld or Trim to merge or subtract elements for cut-ready lines.

• Create Cut vs Engrave Layers (Optional for Laser Cutting) Outer thick contour: for cutting.

Inner thin lines or duplicate shapes: for engraving.

Use different colors (e.g., red for cut, black for engrave) and place them on separate layers if needed.

• Add Armenian Character To give it a deeper Armenian style, you could:

Add small rosette or vine spirals on either side.

Incorporate eternity symbol petals into the outline.

Use pomegranate seed patterns (tiny ovals or dots) inside the main body.

Preparing Roland Machine to Cut Vinyl

• Test Cut: We carried out a test cut to guarantee correctness, enabling us to make any required modifications prior to cutting the entire design.
• Final Cut: The Roland machine cut the design exactly after it had been calibrated, leaving the vinyl with crisp edges that were ideal for layering.

Step 2

Cutting vinyl using the Roland machine

We utilized the Roland vinyl cutter to make precise cuts on each vinyl layer. Here's the process we used:

• Load the Vinyl: We carefully loaded the vinyl sheet into the Roland machine, ensuring that it was flat and well aligned.
• Design Setup: We changed the cut settings to match the thickness and texture of the vinyl.
• Calibration and Test Cut: To verify accuracy, we ran a test cut to make any necessary revisions before cutting the entire design.
• Final Cut: Once calibrated, the Roland machine neatly cut the design, leaving clean edges on the vinyl that were ideal for layering.

Ironning process

Result

Silicon experimentation

We also working on soft robotics using silicone this week. Because it is pliable, strong, and moldable into a wide variety of shapes, silicone is ideal for this.

Step 1

Combining Silicone to Create Soft Robots

In this section of the project, we created flexible structures using silicone based on Epoxy Master platinum. To ensure that the amounts were identical, we used a precise scale to measure out 32.5 grams of Part A and 32.5 grams of Part B. We carefully combined the two components after measuring them to prevent air bubbles. Because trapped air might affect the final structure's flexibility and durability, this phase is crucial. Patience is necessary while mixing silicone, but the smooth, bubble-free result is worth it.

To create even more flexible and soft robotic components, we used Silicone 0A in addition to Epoxy Master silicone. As a result, we had two distinct silicone mixtures for our tests, each with special qualities. The combination gave us more possibilities to work with in our soft robotics projects by enabling us to experiment with a variety of flexibility and movement in our designs!

We put our Epoxy Master platinum-based silicone container on a vibration machine to achieve the optimum results. Before the silicone hardens, this machine helps any air bubbles rise to the surface and burst by gently vibrating the mixture.

Step 2

We filled the molds when our silicone mixture was free of bubbles. We gently poured the silicone liquid into some pre-made molds that we already had ready for our soft robotics pieces. In order to prevent creating any additional bubbles and to ensure that the silicone filled the whole mold, we took our time pouring.

We gently poured our silicone mixture into the molds and then let them to dry. All that's left to do is wait for the silicone to completely cure so that it can maintain its flexibility and shape.

We proceeded to glue the silicone pieces together after they had completely dried. To ensure that every side was precisely aligned, we carefully applied silicone to the components to attach them. We then put them aside to dry one more so that the adhesive could fully harden.

Results

Video

Step 3

Creating new design

• STEP 1: Create the Triangular Frames

• Select the Polygon Tool (shortcut: Y).

• Set the number of sides to 3 (for a triangle).

• Hold Ctrl while dragging to keep it equilateral.

• Duplicate and Scale Down:

• Select the triangle, press Ctrl + D to duplicate.

• Hold Shift and drag from a corner inward to scale down proportionally from center.

• Use Object > Shaping > Trim or Combine to create a hollow frame.

• Repeat this for each triangle.

• STEP 2: Add the Knot Design

Import or Draw the Knot:

• If it's already a vector (like an SVG or traced shape), import it via File > Import.

• If you're drawing it from scratch:

• Use the Bezier Tool to draw each petal-like loop.

• Use the Shape Tool (F10) to curve and refine each segment.

• Use Weld, Trim, and Combine under Object > Shaping to unify the knot shape.

• Align it into the Triangle:

• Place the knot centered over or inside the middle triangle.

• Use Object > Align and Distribute > Center to Page (or relative to the triangle) for perfect positioning.

• STEP 3: Prepare for Laser Cutting Assign Line Colors:

• Use Hairline line width for the laser cutter to recognize them.

• Make All Shapes Closed:

• Ensure there are no open curves—the laser won’t cut open paths.

• Use the Join Curves tool if needed.

• Test Placement:

• Arrange the pieces to fit within your acrylic sheet size (e.g., 300mm x 200mm).

• Add spacing between pieces to avoid melting or overlap during cutting.

Sketches

Laser cut parameters for acrylic sheets

• Speed- 12
• Min. Power-80
• Max. Power-85

Laser cuts with acrylic sheets

Thickness of the acrylic sheet -6 mm

Results

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Fabrication files

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1. File: [1] Vinyl and Tracing Paper Layers ↩

2. File: [2] Silicone Shape ↩