Miniaturised soft manipulators with reinforced actuation chambers on the sub-centimetre scale
File(s)Shi_et_all_mm_scale_soft_manipulators_RoboSoft2024.pdf (4.74 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Shi, Jialei
Abad, Sara-Adela
Menciassi, Arianna
Althoefer, Kaspar
Wurdemann, Helge A
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Fibre-reinforced soft robots are often considered in the design of fluid elastomer actuators, to counter ballooning and potential bursting when exposed to high levels of pressure. They also enhance deformation and navigation through confined spaces. These attributes are critical in applications such as minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures that use sub-12 mm diameter trocar ports. While soft robots with fully reinforced actuation chambers have not yet attained this level of miniaturisation, this paper outlines the fabrication and characterisation of miniaturised soft manipulators with reinforced actuation chambers on the sub-centimetre scale (i.e., less than 10 mm). Two robots are presented with diameters of 9.5 mm and 7.8 mm. They have four pneumatic actuation chambers per robotic segment, with a free central working lumen. Additionally, two robotic segments are serially connected to enhance dexterity and flexibility. This research advances the miniaturisation of soft manipulators with reinforced chambers and an inner free lumen, enhancing their use in applications within confined and unstructured environments.
Date Issued
2024-04-14
Date Acceptance
2024-04-14
Citation
2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 2024, pp.157-164
ISBN
979-8-3503-8181-8
ISSN
2769-4534
Publisher
IEEE
Start Page
157
End Page
164
Journal / Book Title
2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2024 IEEE. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/robosoft60065.2024.10522046
Source
2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)
Publication Status
Published
Start Date
2024-04-14
Finish Date
2024-04-17
Coverage Spatial
San Diego, CA, USA
Date Publish Online
2024-05-13