Soft Robots: Making Robot Air Muscles

Step 7: Other Possibilities

The step 7 pic shows one way of using the six segment robot air muscle for a robot arm or finger.

The thumb pic shows the muscle relaxed.


Vacuum Muscles
The muscles I have made so far are pressure muscles. I made them this way because they are the simplest type of actuator. Vacuum muscles that have larger volume cavities that collapse under a vacuum can also be made. This makes them closer to animal muscles that can be used with "tendons" to mimic natural motions.

3d Printing
It should eventually be possible to print the skeleton, muscles, and skin for a robot. This would make for more economic and efficient robots.

Extremely Small Robots
My main interest is in building small robots one foot long or less. These low pressure muscles are ideal for that. It may even be possible to make extremely small microscopic muscles by painting or spraying them on.

Smaller Pumps
Smaller and quieter pumps will be needed to make extremely small robots. There are several robot researchers working on small chemical generators that create gas to provide the pressure.

Comments

[danzo321]

This is wonderful. Would it help if each muscle segment was more the shape of an orange segment? I think I could rotocast silicone rubber.

[mikey77]

I have only tried a dozen different shapes for Oogoo air muscles. I have by no means found the optimum configuration. I suspect there could be several hundred useful forms of silicone air muscles. Lots of room for experimentation.

Roto-casting the Oogoo is a good Idea. It could make for some unique hollow shapes. I think some commercial silicone bellows are made that way.

Have you roto-casted before? I would be interested in trying it.