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8. Soft robotics

Research

References & Inspiration

Process and workflow

My dive into soft robotics started with a visit to the Gyumri Branch of the Armenian State Academy of Fine Arts. We had a lecture and a practical class there with Fab Lab Dilijan. Anoush Arshakyan gave a magical presentation, and Erika Mirzoyan talked about the technical part of soft robotics. It was such an interesting and unique topic for me.

At the academy, we had a small trip to see what kinds of design branches they have and visited their laboratory section too. The lecture took place in the lab room of the academy, and they had everything we needed for this week’s work right there.

After the presentation, we had the practical part where Anush showed us soft robotics examples — we tried them and even made our own items. Svetlana and Mariam, who are our other participants, had their own small items, which we used for making objects with vinyl and silicone.

video

First thing which we try was vinil sticers makeing. We tested the existing examples to undrstand how it works.

How to Make an Inflatable Vinyl Object

We need two vinyl shapes and a paper pattern that we must cut and combine with each other. After air injection, it forms the shape we want.

Step by step — how to make an inflatable vinyl object: First, I designed my object in Illustrator. I wanted to use hexagons and create a pattern with them. Actually, I really love hexagons and integrate them into many of my works.

The step by step history how I made it with Illustrator you can cheak my Circular Open Source Fashion week. Just cleak on this.

Here’s how my object looks in the cutting file ⬇

In Gyumri Lab I started creating my first itam. I strarted cuting my hexagones with Versastudio gs2-24 desktop vinyl cutter.

How cutter works. First, we open CorelDRAW. You can import your work into this program using a PDF file.

After that, we place the vinyl piece inside the cutter and tighten it on both sides, making it as straight and secure as possible. Fix it with the clamp at the back.

  • Origine helps us calculate the working space. We must choose what type of vinyl we put inside — edge, piece, or roll. After that, the machine measures its size, which we set in CorelDRAW.
  • Force allows us to regulate the cutting power. The maximum power is 250, but at this level, it can even cut through the layer under the vinyl. The best power for cutting vinyl correctly is around 220.
  • Testing helps us check if our force setting works well. The machine cuts a circle inside a square — if you can remove the square and the circle stays in place, it means the cutting power is correct.

How to reset settings: * Go to the Menu * Click the Back arrow * Click the Enter button

The video will help you understand all the steps and show what they do in detail — watch everything step by step ⬇

CorelDrow’s Queue

  • Choosing Hairline instead of any pt parameter.
  • Changing the paper size according to the size of our piece.
  • Using the Ctrl + P shortcut to open Print Properties.
  • Selecting the printer name.
  • Going to Printer Parameters and clicking “Get from Machine” to match the exact size of our piece.
  • Finally, click Print.

Starting to Cutting

The middle paper layer is cut with a laser cutter. Under the paper, I stick double-sided tape to prevent the rolling of the material. After cutting, I simply remove the tape and continue working.

I explained how the laser cutter works step by step in the Digital Bodies and Circular Open Source Fashion Weeks.

Paper Cutting Settings:

  • Speed 170
  • Min Power 15
  • Max Power 15

Connecting All Construction Together After all layers are cut — the vinyl sticker, the paper middle layer, and any base material — we start the assembling process. In the Gyumri LAb they have the spetial machin for airing and diply connection.

How use this machine:

  • Power control: Use the ON/OFF button to switch the machine on or off.
  • Temperature regulation: Press the SET button once, then adjust the temperature using the UP and DOWN arrows.
  • Time control: Press SET again to switch to time settings and adjust it with the UP and DOWN arrows.
  • Confirm settings: Press the SET button one more time to save all parameters.
  • Close the machine mount carefully to prepare for work.
  • Press the START button to begin the process.

Because the bottom part of my object was too small, the probability of the air supply rod merging with it was high. I tried to attach it using an iron, and do-do-do-dom — it failed.

The reason for the failure was the iron’s high temperature, which melted the vinyl. I turned it on, and within a few seconds, it became really hot — I didn’t even have time to realize what was happening during ironing. It lasted just five seconds, but what kind of seconds those were — that’s the real question!

After this fail, I continued my work in the Dilijan Lab to make a working one.

I had some incorrect parameters — a few parts were too tiny for normal work, so I adjusted my project and made them bigger. After fixing the design, I repeated all the steps in the Dilijan Lab, using our machines and the helpful support of the team. The only machine we didn’t have in our lab was the final one, so we replaced it with ironing — this time with much more attention and patience.

The previous version is with changes and you can be shure that that will work.

I made the whole work again, and this time the second item worked perfectly!

Let’s see how it turned out ⬇

Since the last rectangle I cut was too small, I didn’t want to waste the material. So, I created a new design and turned it into another inflatable vinyl object. Let’s take a look at that one too!

The only failure in this model was the middle part — it was too small to withstand the air pressure. Because of that, I made some changes to the design, and I’ve now uploaded the updated file ⬇

Tools

  • Illustrator
  • CorelDRAW
  • Laser Cutter
  • Vinyl Cutter
  • Iron
  • My Own Lungs

How To Make Inflatble Silicon Object

It is quite similar to the vinyl one in the layering part, but it is very different in the material and working process. The main difference is the time — silicone requires much more time to prepare and cure.

We need to make two forming surfaces (by plexiglass or 3D printing). Inside them, there is a small air pocket in the middle. Through this little pocket, we inject air — and the silicone object comes alive.

How it looks like in Anoush Arshakyan project example ⬇

How make it by plexiglass step by step: 1. Sketch the object leyar by layer 2. Cut them in the cutting matchin 3. Clean them 4. Connect together with glue 5. Pour silicone into molds 6. Connect the two templates together

Step 1: Sketching and Planning

Before starting the sketch, it’s important to understand how the future construction will work. The inflatable silicone object mainly consists of four layers:

Two outer layers — these are the full outlines of the object. They define the overall shape and thickness.

One inner layer — this is the air pocket layer, placed between one of the full layers. It forms the air channel, the part that will inflate later. This layer must be carefully designed to leave equal spacing around all sides, ensuring that the air pocket is fully enclosed and airtight. Hermetic sealing is essential — if even a small gap remains open, the object won’t inflate correctly.

Two boundary boards (molds) — these support the silicone while it cures. They help keep the silicone in place and maintain an even thickness. On the side with the air pocket, the boundary board should be slightly higher, closing all surfaces completely so the silicone doesn’t leak out during curing.

Let’s look at the photo for easier understanding. This is Svet’s mold, which we used for our experiment in Gyumri. Big thanks to her for her beautiful and well-made mold! You can check her documentation here ⬇

Now we can see my project sketches and the final result of it.

My silicone object is a foot with sandals. The sandals will swell and crack when air is supplied. I got the idea while working on my laptop — I have a lot of stickers on it, and one of them shows sandals. It really inspired me, so I decided to work on it.

I sketched it in Illustrator, creating every layer one by one. Let’s see my sketch and the sticker that inspired me ⬇

Step 2: Laser Cutting process

It was my first time cutting plexiglass. It was really interesting — and at some moments, painful. Why painful? You will see soon.

I took one black 3mm plexiglass, one transparent 3mm, and one transparent 5mm plexiglass and started cutting.

In our lab, we have a guide for material cutting powers, but it only includes data for 6mm transparent plexiglass. Because of that, I had to experiment — manipulating the speed and power settings to make the cutting process more accurate and clean.

Here’s how it went, which pieces I cut with which power, and how I achieved the final surfaces.

The power guide in our lab for 6mm plexiglass is: * Speed - 5 * Power Min - 90 * Power Max - 95

For 5mm plexiglass, I used slightly lower power. I decreased the 90–95 range to 80–85, but the glass didn’t cut properly.

I tried to slowly remove the pieces, and ooops — I cut my finger. In this cutting process, I hadn’t calculated the power correctly.

I cut it again using the standard 6mm plexiglass cutting power, and this time everything went like clockwork.

For the 3mm plexglass, I used these parameters: * Speed - 6 * Power Min - 75 * Power Max - 80

It was the right power, and the 3mm pieces were cut perfectly.

Step 3: Clean them.

I just washed them in hot water to remove any burnt remains.

Step 4: Connect together with glue.

I used the standard fast-drying glue, for example, STERN Fast Adhesive Activator or any other similar brand. We took all the pieces, applied a thin layer of glue on them, and connected them following the lines. Then we waited a few minutes for them to fully dry.

Step 5: Pour silicone into molds.

In our lab, we have two types of silicone: one is more flexible, and the other is more static — called A and 10A silicones. Here you can see their photos ⬇

I tried 5A, which is more flexible. We must mix the A and B components in equal grams and stir them for 5 to 7 minutes. Mix slowly to avoid creating bubbles inside the silicone. If bubbles form, the hermetic seal won’t work properly.

During mixing, we can also add colors to make the silicone any shade we want.

Moments During the Process ⬇

It took them 3 to 4 hours to dry, and after that, I carefully removed them from the molds.

Step 6: Connect the two templates together.

Award for the final touches. We mixed the same silicon again but in a smaller quantity. For mixing, we used small brushes and spread a thin layer all over the surface. After letting it dry for 3–4 hours again — the model was finally done! Yoooooooohooooooooo!

The model file

The first file of cutting- Open Lilit's Inflatble Silicon Object

Tools

  • Illustrator
  • Laser Cutter
  • Glue
  • Silicon
  • My Own Lungs