Engineering news
In development at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, the origami-inspired arm is designed to tackle tasks including picking up and carrying a glass of water without spilling a drop, using off-the-shelf grippers.
Researchers Cagdas Onal, Berk Calli and Loris Fichera are developing a framework for the design, modelling and control of ‘soft continuum’ robotic arms, which are more flexible than traditional robot arms, in the four-year project.
“The basic scientific discoveries we are making in this research address real-world challenges for people who use wheelchairs and need devices that will help them grab out-of-reach objects,” said Onal, principal investigator on the project.
“A new class of lightweight, safe robotic arms based on the breakthroughs we are making would give those individuals more independence in their daily activities.”
Soft continuum robotic arms expand, shrink and bend along their entire length, like a coiled spring, to move in different directions and travel around objects. That flexibility makes soft robotics a promising technology in complicated human environments, but they also tend to be weaker, shakier and less precise than rigid robotic arms.
To address the weaknesses of soft robotic arms, the researchers are developing origami-inspired designs and novel fabrication methods for modules made of lightweight plastics, 3D-printed components, and off-the-shelf items such as sensors and cables. By folding flat sheets of clear plastic into springy, tube-like structures, the researchers aim to create modules that are strong, stiff and resistant to twisting, all while remaining lightweight.
“Soft robots have big potential for assistive robotics,” said Calli. “You would need a very large, rigid robot to reach the high shelves of a cabinet, for example, and installing such robots next to a user does not make sense. Soft robots could expand to reach objects and shrink to a compact size when not in use, and they would be safer for users than rigid robots.”
The team is also developing novel sensing and control technologies, including specialised algorithms that run on microcontroller platforms to direct the motion and reactions of the robotic arms.
“It’s exciting to work with WPI colleagues and students on a project that is pushing the boundaries of this technology,” Onal said. “More importantly, this research offers an opportunity to directly impact people in a positive way by enabling them to lift, move and carry objects that they previously might not have been able to reach from a wheelchair. That would be a real achievement.”
The research is funded by a $1,314,792 award from the US National Science Foundation.
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