Programmable Soft Robotics Actuator With Pneumatic Networks (PneuNets)

Abstract

In this article, we studied pneumatic networks (PneuNets) platform fabrication and evaluated the effect of variations in design parameters and inextensible layer materials on the bending angle of PneuNets. We also developed a pneumatically driven soft robot that required pressurized gas to move according to its function. A programmable pneumatic pump circuit comprising a direct current (dc) air pump and valves connected with tubes was used to actuate the platform and control the internal pressure. Two control methods were tested: a straightforward ON– OFF control and a proportional–integral (PI) control based on a linear model derived from system identification. Comparisons for input tracking performance were made, with ON– OFF control providing a better error performance than PI control, producing an oscillation of 2 kPa along the reference input. The results of parameter variations of PneuNets designs conclude the strategies to obtain a larger bending angle: thinner inner chamber walls, lengthened size of the PneuNets, increased number of chambers, and a smaller grammage and thickness of the inextensible layer.