TY - JOUR
T1 - Soft Poly-Limbs
T2 - Toward a New Paradigm of Mobile Manipulation for Daily Living Tasks
AU - Nguyen, Pham Huy
AU - Sparks, Curtis
AU - Nuthi, Sai G.
AU - Vale, Nicholas M.
AU - Polygerinos, Panagiotis
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant CMMI-1800940. The authors thank S. Sridar for help with the design of the fatigue experiment, the mounting mechanism of the Soft Poly-Limb (SPL), the help provided in earlier design versions of the SPL, various help during filming, the building of the experimental platform, and providing constructive feedback. The authors thank Q. Lam for helping the design and building of the experimental platform. They thank C. Thalman for the art sketches of the first figure. They thank E. Fernandez in assisting with the designing and fabrication of three-dimensional printed molds.
Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant CMMI-1800940.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
PY - 2019/2
Y1 - 2019/2
N2 - We present the design and development of the fluid-driven, wearable, Soft Poly-Limb (SPL), from the Greek word polys, meaning many. The SPL utilizes the numerous traits of soft robotics to enable a novel approach in providing safe and compliant mobile manipulation assistance to healthy and impaired users. This wearable system equips the user with a controllable additional limb that is capable of complex three-dimensional motion in space. Similar to an elephant trunk, the SPL is able to manipulate objects using a variety of end effectors, such as suction adhesion or a soft grasper, as well as its entire soft body to conform around an object, able to lift 2.35 times its own weight. To develop these highly articulated soft robotic limbs, we provide a novel set of systematic design rules, obtained through varying geometrical parameters of the SPL through experimentally verified finite element method models. We investigate performance of the limb by testing the lifetime of the new SPL actuators, evaluating its payload capacity, operational workspace, and capability of interacting close to a user through a spatial mobility test. Furthermore, we are able to demonstrate limb controllability through multiple user-intent detection modalities. Finally, we explore the limb's ability to assist in multitasking and pick and place scenarios with varying mounting locations of the SPL around the user's body. Our results highlight the SPL's ability to safely interact with the user while demonstrating promising performance in assisting with a wide variety of tasks, in both work and general living settings.
AB - We present the design and development of the fluid-driven, wearable, Soft Poly-Limb (SPL), from the Greek word polys, meaning many. The SPL utilizes the numerous traits of soft robotics to enable a novel approach in providing safe and compliant mobile manipulation assistance to healthy and impaired users. This wearable system equips the user with a controllable additional limb that is capable of complex three-dimensional motion in space. Similar to an elephant trunk, the SPL is able to manipulate objects using a variety of end effectors, such as suction adhesion or a soft grasper, as well as its entire soft body to conform around an object, able to lift 2.35 times its own weight. To develop these highly articulated soft robotic limbs, we provide a novel set of systematic design rules, obtained through varying geometrical parameters of the SPL through experimentally verified finite element method models. We investigate performance of the limb by testing the lifetime of the new SPL actuators, evaluating its payload capacity, operational workspace, and capability of interacting close to a user through a spatial mobility test. Furthermore, we are able to demonstrate limb controllability through multiple user-intent detection modalities. Finally, we explore the limb's ability to assist in multitasking and pick and place scenarios with varying mounting locations of the SPL around the user's body. Our results highlight the SPL's ability to safely interact with the user while demonstrating promising performance in assisting with a wide variety of tasks, in both work and general living settings.
KW - Soft actuator
KW - continuum
KW - finite element modeling
KW - ring-reinforced actuator
KW - soft poly-limb
KW - wearable
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U2 - 10.1089/soro.2018.0065
DO - 10.1089/soro.2018.0065
M3 - Article
C2 - 30307793
AN - SCOPUS:85061496008
SN - 2169-5172
VL - 6
SP - 38
EP - 53
JO - Soft Robotics
JF - Soft Robotics
IS - 1
ER -