Shape-customizable pneumatic soft actuator and soft robot

Abstract

A shape-customizable pneumatic soft actuator and a soft robot. The pneumatic soft actuator comprises a pneumatic deformable member (1), an embedded rod structure and several shape customization members (4), wherein a cavity is formed in the pneumatic deformable member (1), and an external independent air source is in communication with the cavity in the pneumatic deformable member (1); the embedded rod structure is mounted at the bottom of the pneumatic deformable member (1), and comprises a base body (2) and a plurality of insertion rods (3), the base body (2) being provided with a plurality of first through holes, and the plurality of insertion rods (3) being respectively embedded into the plurality of first through holes in the base body (2); and the several shape customization members (4) are mounted on at least two insertion rods (3), so as to constrain the deformation of the pneumatic deformable member (1) and the base body (2), thereby completing different grasping or operating tasks. The shape of the pneumatic soft actuator is reconfigured by means of the shape customization members (4), such that the grabbing effect of a soft robot on different target objects can be improved; and by means of the coupling effect of a rigid-flexible structure, the load capacity of the soft robot can be improved.

Description

A shape customizable pneumatic soft actuator and soft robot

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed on June 14, 2024 with the Chinese Patent Office and entitled "A shape customizable pneumatic soft actuator and soft robot", with the Chinese patent application number 2024107672836, the contents or part of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of soft robots, and particularly relates to a shape customizable pneumatic soft actuator and soft robot. BACKGROUND

[0003] At present, robots widely used in many fields such as industrial production, medical services and special operations are mostly based on rigid structures, which makes them less safe and adaptable. Soft robots made of elastic materials can deform and yield, and compared with traditional rigid robot systems, soft robots have simple structure and simple control algorithm, and have great application prospect in fields such as equipment manufacturing, disaster rescue and agricultural production, so it is necessary to design and research soft robots.

[0004] The high flexibility and high environmental adaptability of soft robots enable them to enter narrow and limited spaces to complete specific work, improving the safety of robot-human collaboration. However, pneumatic soft robots driven by air pressure often have poor load capacity without other reinforcing structures. In order to solve the above problems, researchers have designed various rigid-flexible coupled pneumatic soft robots that combine rigid and flexible structures. As an effective way to improve the load capacity of soft robots, it is necessary to design and innovate rigid-flexible coupled pneumatic soft robots to adapt to more complex working conditions and load requirements.

[0005] In the current research on the shape customization of soft robots, some researchers wrap the soft elastic body with a material having high hardness on the outside, and use the coupling effect of rigid and flexible structures to realize the shape customization of soft robots. Although this can achieve the customization of the shape of soft robots, such a "clothing" constraint structure with high rigidity is no longer convenient to reconfigure and modify after the soft robot is assembled. In addition, the "clothing" material wrapped outside the soft material has high hardness, which is not conducive to the contact of the soft robot with flexible objects. Therefore, it is necessary to design a pneumatic soft robot whose shape can be customized according to the use requirements and whose rigid structure is not on the contact surface of the robot and the workpiece. At present, there is still less research in this regard. SUMMARY

[0006] The application provides a shape-customizable pneumatic soft actuator and soft robot, which solves the technical problem of weak grasping ability and poor grasping effect of the existing soft robot.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the technical scheme of the application is as follows:

[0008] The application provides a shape-customizable pneumatic soft actuator, which comprises:

[0009] The gas-driven deformation member is internally formed with a cavity, and an external independent gas source is in communication with the cavity in the gas-driven deformation member.

[0010] The embedded rod structure is installed at the bottom of the gas-driven deformation member and comprises a base body and a plurality of insertion rods, and a plurality of first through holes are formed in the base body, and the plurality of insertion rods are embedded in the plurality of first through holes in the base body.

[0011] A plurality of shape customization members are installed on at least two insertion rods to constrain the deformation of the gas-driven deformation member and the base body, so as to complete different grasping or operation tasks.

[0012] Further, the pneumatic soft actuator further comprises an end fixing mechanism, and the end fixing mechanism comprises two fixing parts.

[0013] The two fixing parts are fixedly installed at two ends in the length direction of the gas-driven deformation member, and a gas hole is formed in one of the fixing parts and is in communication with the external independent gas source, so as to realize the communication between the external independent gas source and the cavity in the gas-driven deformation member.

[0014] Further, the end fixing mechanism is made of plastic or metal material.

[0015] Further, the cross section of the gas-driven deformation member in the length direction is wavy.

[0016] The gas-driven deformation member is made of elastic material, the external independent gas source provides pressurized gas into the cavity of the gas-driven deformation member, so that the gas-driven deformation member is deformed under the action of the pressurized gas; and after the pressurized gas is removed, the gas-driven deformation member returns to the original state.

[0017] Further, the base body is made of elastic material, so that the base body is deformed along with the deformation of the gas-driven deformation member.

[0018] Further, the insertion rods and the shape customization members are made of plastic or metal.

[0019] Further, a plurality of second through holes are formed in the shape customization members, and the shape customization members are detachably clamped on the plurality of adjacent insertion rods through the plurality of second through holes.

[0020] Another aspect of the present application also provides a soft robot, comprising a plurality of the above-mentioned pneumatic soft actuators and a base; the plurality of pneumatic soft actuators are installed on the base.

[0021] Further, the number of the pneumatic soft actuators is three, and the three pneumatic soft actuators are arranged circumferentially around the central axis of the base on the base; the air source of the three pneumatic soft actuators on the soft robot comes from an external air source, and the air pressure inside the three pneumatic soft actuators is controlled respectively by three independent air sources.

[0022] The base of each of the three pneumatic soft actuators is installed on the base in a posture facing the central axis of the base;

[0023] Or, the base of each of the three pneumatic soft actuators is installed on the base in a posture facing away from the central axis of the base;

[0024] Or, the base of each of the three pneumatic soft actuators is installed on the base in a posture facing and / or facing away from the central axis of the base.

[0025] Further, the soft robot further comprises a plurality of connecting members equal in number to the pneumatic soft actuators and corresponding respectively;

[0026] The base is formed with a connecting portion and a plurality of supporting portions, the base is connected to an external device through the connecting portion, and the plurality of supporting portions are arranged around the connecting portion. The plurality of pneumatic soft actuators are detachably installed on the plurality of supporting portions of the base through the plurality of connecting members, so as to realize the pose adjustment of the plurality of pneumatic soft actuators.

[0027] The present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] 1. According to the present application, the pneumatic soft actuator can dynamically select not to use a shape customization member or to use a shape customization member of different shape and size according to different working targets and working tasks, so as to flexibly change the shape of the pneumatic soft actuator after inflation and deformation, and realize the shape customization of the pneumatic soft actuator. By customizing the shape of the pneumatic soft actuator, the grasping ability of the pneumatic soft actuator can be improved, or other operation abilities of the pneumatic soft actuator can also be improved, which include but are not limited to pressing operation of buttons in different special scenes using the pneumatic soft actuator.

[0029] 2. The shape customization member in the present application is detachably installed on the end of the plurality of insertion rods on the base, which will improve the flexibility of shape customization of the pneumatic soft actuator and the soft robot.

[0030] 3. In this invention, the multiple inserts and custom-shaped parts are only installed on the base, and the base is long and narrow. The pneumatically driven deformable parts are installed on the top of the base. The multiple inserts and custom-shaped parts do not wrap around the pneumatic soft actuator, so they have little impact on the flexibility of the surface of the pneumatic soft actuator.

[0031] 4. In this invention, the custom-shaped component is installed on the side of the base, and both the multiple insert rods and the custom-shaped component are made of rigid materials. Due to the presence of the multiple insert rods and the custom-shaped component, this invention can improve the load capacity of the pneumatic soft actuator to a certain extent.

[0032] 5. Another aspect of this invention provides a soft robot whose shape can be quickly configured according to application scenarios and task requirements. By dynamically selecting whether to use custom-shaped parts or to use custom-shaped parts of different shapes and sizes, the shape of the soft robot can be flexibly customized to adapt to specific geometric targets. Utilizing the coupling effect of rigid-flexible structures, the load-bearing capacity of this pneumatic soft robot can be changed, enabling it to grasp objects of different weights.

[0033] 6. This soft robot also has the following advantages:

[0034] The gripping radius is adjustable. Multiple pneumatic soft actuators are mounted on multiple support parts of the base through multiple connectors, and the connectors are detachably mounted on the multiple support parts of the base. When facing objects of different diameters, the position of the connectors can be adjusted to adjust the gripping radius of the soft robot, which enhances the gripping ability of the soft robot.

[0035] The gripping effect is adjustable. The connectors of this soft robot can be flexibly rotated in installation direction, and the gripping effect of the pneumatic soft robot will change when the installation direction of the connectors is rotated. The installation direction of one or more connectors can be adjusted according to the usage scenario, so that the soft robot can meet a variety of different usage scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the pneumatic soft actuator in this invention;

[0037] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the pneumatic soft actuator in this invention;

[0038] Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the gas-driven deformable component in this invention;

[0039] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the three-dimensional structure of the matrix in this invention;

[0040] Figure 5 is a scaled-down view of the schematic diagram of the first structure of the soft robot in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Fig. 6 is a partial enlarged view of part A in Fig. 5;

[0042] Fig. 7 is a zoomed view of a schematic diagram of a second structure of the soft robot in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a schematic diagram of the shaft of the connecting piece in the present application;

[0044] Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a schematic diagram of the bottom of the connecting piece in the present application.

[0045] Legend: 1, gas-driven deformation piece; 2, base; 3, insertion rod; 4, shape customization piece; 5, end fixing mechanism; 51, air hole; 52, second fixing hole; 6, base; 61, round handle; 62, bracket; 621, square groove; 622, first fixing hole; 7, connecting piece; 71, through groove; 72, connecting hole; 73, square hole; 74, round hole; 75, side groove; 76, insertion hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings. However, the present application can be implemented in many other different forms, and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0047] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0048] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0049] In addition, the terms "first", "second", are used only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0050] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description herein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The use herein of the terms "and / or" includes a set of one or more associated listed items.

[0051] It should be noted that the same reference signs are used to represent the same component or the same part in the embodiments of the present application. For the same parts in the embodiments of the present application, only one part or component is marked with a reference sign in the drawings, and it should be understood that the reference sign is also applicable to other identical parts or components.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the embodiments of the present application provide a shape-customizable pneumatic soft actuator, comprising:

[0053] The gas-driven deformation member 1 has a cavity formed inside, and an independent gas source is in communication with the cavity inside the gas-driven deformation member 1;

[0054] The embedded rod structure is installed at the bottom of the gas-driven deformation member 1 and comprises a base body 2 and a plurality of insertion rods 3. The base body 2 is provided with a plurality of first through holes, and the plurality of insertion rods 3 are embedded in the plurality of first through holes on the base body 2;

[0055] A plurality of shape customization members 4 are installed on at least two insertion rods 3 to constrain the deformation of the gas-driven deformation member 1 and the base body 2, so as to complete different grasping or operation tasks and improve the load capacity of the pneumatic soft actuator.

[0056] In order to illustrate the working mode and working effect of the shape customization member 4 in the present application, two typical shape customization members 4 are designed and installed at two typical positions, as shown in FIG. 1. It should be noted that the shape of the shape customization member 4 described in the present application includes but is not limited to the two shapes shown in FIG. 1. Any structure that has a plurality of second through holes in the middle and can be installed on the insertion rod 3 of the embedded rod structure and can realize the shape customization of the pneumatic soft actuator is considered as the shape customization member 4 described in the present application and is within the protection scope of the present application. The installation position of the shape customization member 4 described in the present application includes but is not limited to the two positions shown in FIG. 1. For both sides of the insertion rod 3 structure, any position that can install the shape customization member 4 is considered as the installation position of the shape customization member 4 described in the present application and is within the protection scope of the present application.

[0057] Optionally, referring to FIG. 3, the lengthwise cross section of the gas-driven deformation member 1 is in a wavy shape;

[0058] The gas-driven deformation member 1 is made of elastic material, and an external independent gas source provides pressurized gas into the cavity of the gas-driven deformation member 1, so that the gas-driven deformation member 1 is deformed under the action of the pressurized gas; after the pressurized gas is removed, the gas-driven deformation member 1 returns to its original shape.

[0059] Optionally, the base 2 is made of elastic material, so that the base 2 deforms with the deformation of the gas-driven deformation member 1.

[0060] Specifically, the embedded rod structure is located on one side of the gas-driven deformation member 1, and is composed of the base 2 with a plurality of first through holes opened at equal intervals and a plurality of insertion rods 3 matched with the base 2, and the plurality of insertion rods 3 are respectively embedded in the plurality of first through holes on the base 2. The structure of the base 2 is shown in FIG. 4. The material of the base 2 is consistent with the material of the gas-driven deformation member 1, and is a flexible elastic material including but not limited to silica gel and the like. The insertion rod 3 is made of hard material including but not limited to plastic, metal and the like, wherein when the insertion rod 3 is made of plastic, nylon or ABS and the like can be selected, and when the insertion rod 3 is made of metal, SUS304 stainless steel, #45, Q235 and the like can be selected. The material of the insertion rod 3 is consistent with the material of the shape customization 4, and is a rigid structure; under the coupling action of the rigid and flexible structures, the embedded rod structure limits and restricts the deformation and expansion of the gas-driven deformation member 1.

[0061] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pneumatic soft actuator further comprises an end fixing mechanism 5, and the end fixing mechanism 5 comprises two fixing parts;

[0062] The two fixing parts are respectively fixedly installed at two ends in the length direction of the gas-driven deformation member 1, and a gas hole 51 is opened on one of the fixing parts, and the gas hole 51 is in communication with the external independent gas source, so as to realize the conduction between the external independent gas source and the cavity in the gas-driven deformation member 1.

[0063] In some embodiments, the end fixing mechanism 5 is integrally formed with the gas-driven deformation member 1.

[0064] In some embodiments, the shape customization 4 has a one-letter type or other different shape, a plurality of second through holes are opened on the shape customization 4, and the shape customization 4 is detachably clamped on the plurality of adjacent insertion rods 3 through the plurality of second through holes.

[0065] The working principle of the pneumatic soft actuator is as follows:

[0066] The gas-driven deformable member 1 is made of elastic material, and will be deformed and expanded after being inflated; the gas-driven deformable member 1 is internally formed with an inflatable cavity, and the cavity is connected with an external independent gas source through a gas hole 51 located at the end fixing mechanism 5. After the cavity of the gas-driven deformable member 1 is filled with pressurized gas, the gas-driven deformable member 1 will be deformed under the action of gas pressure load. Due to the material properties of the material used, the deformation will disappear after the gas pressure load is removed, and the gas-driven deformable member 1 will completely restore to the original state; the gas-driven deformable member 1 is distributed with a base body 2, a plurality of insertion rods 3 and a shape customization member 4 on one side, which will limit the deformation of the gas-driven deformable member 1 on this side. Under the action of gas pressure, the gas-driven deformable member 1 will be expanded and bent; the bending angle of the gas-driven deformable member 1 is related to the gas pressure value of the pressurized gas in the gas cavity, and the pressurized gas is independently controlled by the external gas pressure source;

[0067] According to different working targets and working tasks, the shape customization member 4 is not used or different shape and size of the shape customization member 4 is used, so that the shape of the pneumatic soft actuator after inflation and deformation can be flexibly changed, and the shape customization of the pneumatic soft actuator is realized. Through the shape customization of the pneumatic soft actuator, the grasping ability of the pneumatic soft actuator can be improved, or other operation ability of the pneumatic soft actuator can also be improved, and the other operation ability includes but is not limited to pressing operation of buttons in different special scenes using the pneumatic soft actuator.

[0068] The shape customization member 4 in the application is detachably installed on the end of the plurality of insertion rods 3 on the base body 2, which improves the flexibility of the shape customization of the pneumatic soft actuator.

[0069] The plurality of insertion rods 3 and the shape customization member 4 on the application are only installed on the base body 2, and the base body 2 is in a strip shape, the gas-driven deformable member 1 is installed on the top of the base body 2, the plurality of insertion rods 3 and the shape customization member 4 do not wrap the pneumatic soft actuator, and the softness of the surface of the pneumatic soft actuator is less affected.

[0070] In addition, the shape customization member 4 in the application is installed on the side of the base body 2, and the plurality of insertion rods 3 and the shape customization member 4 are made of hard material, and due to the existence of the plurality of insertion rods 3 and the shape customization member 4, the load capacity of the pneumatic soft actuator can be improved to a certain extent.

[0071] Another aspect of the application also provides a soft robot, comprising a plurality of the above-mentioned pneumatic soft actuators and a base 6; referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, the plurality of pneumatic soft actuators are installed on the base 6.

[0072] In some embodiments, the number of pneumatic soft actuators is three, and the three pneumatic soft actuators are arranged circumferentially around the central axis of the base 6; the air source of the three pneumatic soft actuators on the soft robot comes from an external air source, and the air pressure in the three pneumatic soft actuators is controlled respectively by three independent air sources; by controlling the air pressure in the three pneumatic soft actuators respectively, the deformation effect of the three pneumatic soft actuators can be equal or unequal. This flexible combination enriches the grasping effect of the soft robot.

[0073] The first structure of the soft robot is shown in detail in FIG. 5, and the base 2 on the three pneumatic soft actuators is installed on the base 6 in a posture facing the central axis of the base 6; this design can make the air-driven deformation member 1 and the base 2 on the side away from the base 6 turn inward, and the turning direction is toward the central axis of the base 6; in this state, the three pneumatic soft actuators can realize the enveloping grasping effect from the outside to the inside.

[0074] The second structure of the soft robot is shown in detail in FIG. 7, and the base 2 on the three pneumatic soft actuators is installed on the base 6 in a posture away from the central axis of the base 6; this design can make the air-driven deformation member 1 and the base 2 on the side away from the base 6 turn outward, and the turning direction is away from the central axis of the base 6; in this state, the three pneumatic soft actuators can realize the inside supporting grasping effect from the inside to the outside.

[0075] The third structure of the soft robot is that the base 2 on the three pneumatic soft actuators is installed on the base 6 in a posture facing and / or away from the central axis of the base 6. This design can make the air-driven deformation member 1 and the base 2 on the side away from the base 6 turn inward and / or outward, and the turning direction is toward and / or away from the central axis of the base 6; in this state, it is more suitable for grasping irregular-shaped objects.

[0076] In some embodiments, the soft robot further comprises a plurality of connecting members 7 equal in number to the pneumatic soft actuators and corresponding respectively; the structure of the connecting member 7 is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9;

[0077] The base 6 is formed with a connecting portion and a plurality of supporting portions, the base 6 is connected with an external device through the connecting portion, and the plurality of supporting portions are arranged around the connecting portion. The plurality of pneumatic soft actuators are detachably installed on the plurality of supporting portions of the base 6 through the plurality of connecting members 7, so as to realize the pose adjustment of the plurality of pneumatic soft actuators.

[0078] Specifically, the base 6 serves to connect the components of the soft robot, and is connected to external devices through a connecting portion, which is a round handle 61 in this embodiment, but is not limited thereto and can be other different structures. The base 6 is provided below with three support portions that are uniformly distributed at intervals of 120° in the circumferential direction, which are brackets 62 in this embodiment, and the structure of the support portions is not limited thereto and can be other different structures. Each bracket 62 is provided with a square slot 621 in the middle, through which a gas pipe of an independent gas source can pass. Each bracket 62 is provided with a plurality of first fixing holes 622 arranged at equal intervals on both sides; through the first fixing holes 622 and connecting holes 72 provided on the connecting member 7, the bracket 62 and the connecting member 7 can be fixed.

[0079] The connecting member 7 is provided with a through slot 71 above, through which the bracket 62 on the base 6 passes in the middle, and is provided with connecting holes 72 on both sides of the through slot 71, which match the first fixing holes 622 on the bracket 62, so that the connecting member 7 can be detachably fixed and installed on the bracket 62 of the base 6. The connecting member 7 is provided with a square hole 73 at the top and a round hole 74 in the middle. During the operation of the soft robot, the gas pipe providing the gas source passes through the square hole 73 at the top of the connecting member 7, the square slot 621 in the middle of the bracket 62 of the base 6, and the round hole 74 in the middle of the connecting member 7, and is connected to the gas hole 51 on the end fixing mechanism 5, so as to supply gas to the pneumatic soft actuator. The connecting member 7 is fixed below the pneumatic soft actuator, and is provided with a side slot 75 and a jack 76 below, and the shape customization member 4 can be inserted into the side slot 75 to constrain the pneumatic soft actuator. The end fixing mechanism 5 is provided with a second fixing hole 52 that matches the jack 76 on the connecting member 7, so as to fix the pneumatic soft actuator and the connecting member 7.

[0080] The working principle of the soft robot is as follows:

[0081] After the pneumatic soft actuators of the soft robot are filled with pressurized gas, the gas-driven deformation member 1 deforms under the action of the pressurized gas. Due to the existence of the constraint structure (the base 2, the plug rod 3 and the shape customization member 4), the two sides of the gas-driven deformation member 1 will deform by different amounts. As the gas pressure increases, the deformation difference further increases, and the gas-driven deformation member 1 gradually bends to one side, causing the actuators of the soft robot to bend, and the soft robot to deform.

[0082] The soft robot does not install the shape customization piece 4, and each actuator of the soft robot can freely bend under the action of the compressed gas. At this time, the deformation ability of each actuator of the soft robot is strong, and the adaptation effect to irregular objects is good. Due to the absence of the shape customization piece 4, the pneumatic soft robot has a good adaptation effect on the target object, and is suitable for grabbing some irregularly shaped objects. However, due to the absence of the shape customization piece 4, the load capacity of the pneumatic soft robot is weak, and is suitable for grabbing a lighter load.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 1, two shape customization pieces 4 are installed at two positions on both sides of the base body 2 of the pneumatic soft actuator. At this time, the soft robot composed of each actuator is shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. The four shape customization pieces 4 together with the plurality of insertion rods 3 form a rigid “skeleton” of the pneumatic soft actuator. The part of each actuator of the soft robot where the shape customization piece 4 is installed is constrained by the “skeleton” and cannot bend, and the part where the shape customization piece 4 is not installed is not constrained by the “skeleton” and can freely bend. Through this method, the function of the pneumatic soft actuator and the soft robot can be quickly customized to adapt to specific geometric targets. Due to the presence of the shape customization piece 4, the pneumatic soft robot can adapt to specific geometric targets and perform grabbing. Under the coupling action of the rigid and flexible structures, the load capacity of the pneumatic soft robot is strong, and is suitable for grabbing a heavier load.

[0084] It is worth noting that by using different shape customization pieces 4 and installing them at different positions, the soft robot can be flexibly customized for grabbing effect.

[0085] The soft robot also has the following advantages:

[0086] The grabbing radius is adjustable, and the plurality of pneumatic soft actuators are respectively installed on the plurality of supports 62 of the base 6 through the plurality of connecting pieces 7, and the plurality of connecting pieces 7 are respectively installed on the plurality of supports 62 of the base 6 in a detachable manner; when facing different diameters of grabbed objects, the positions of the connecting pieces 7 can be adjusted to adjust the grabbing radius of the soft robot, which enhances the grabbing capacity of the soft robot.

[0087] The grabbing effect is adjustable, and the connecting piece 7 of the soft robot can be flexibly adjusted in the installation direction. After adjusting the installation direction of the connecting piece 7, the grabbing effect of the pneumatic soft robot will change. One or more connecting pieces 7 can be adjusted in the installation direction according to the use scene, so that the soft robot can meet a plurality of different use scenes.

[0088] The above merely describes specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Furthermore, the technical solutions of each embodiment of the present application can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the realization of the ordinary skilled person in the art, when the combination of the technical solutions appears contradictory or unachievable, it should be considered that the combination of the technical solutions does not exist, and is not within the protection scope required by the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A custom-shaped pneumatic soft body actuator, comprising: The utility model relates to a pneumatic soft actuator, comprising: a gas-driven deformation part (1) having a cavity formed therein, and an external independent gas source being in communication with the cavity in the gas-driven deformation part (1); an embedded rod structure installed at the bottom of the gas-driven deformation part (1), comprising a base body (2) and a plurality of insertion rods (3), the base body (2) being provided with a plurality of first through holes, and the plurality of insertion rods (3) being embedded in the plurality of first through holes of the base body (2) respectively; a plurality of shape customization parts (4) being installed on at least two insertion rods (3) to constrain the deformation of the gas-driven deformation part (1) and the base body (2), so as to complete different grasping or operation tasks.

2. The pneumatic soft body effector of claim 1, wherein, The utility model further comprises an end fixing mechanism (5), the end fixing mechanism (5) comprising two fixing parts; the two fixing parts being fixedly installed at two ends in the length direction of the gas-driven deformation part (1) respectively, one of the fixing parts being provided with a gas hole (51) in communication with the external independent gas source, so as to realize the communication between the external independent gas source and the cavity in the gas-driven deformation part (1).

3. The pneumatic soft body effector of claim 2, wherein, The end fixing mechanism (5) is made of plastic or metal material.

4. The pneumatic soft body effector of claim 1, wherein, The cross section of the gas-driven deformation part (1) in the length direction is wavy. The gas-driven deformation part (1) is made of elastic material, the external independent gas source provides pressurized gas into the cavity of the gas-driven deformation part (1), so that the gas-driven deformation part (1) is deformed under the action of the pressurized gas; after the pressurized gas is removed, the gas-driven deformation part (1) returns to its original state.

5. The pneumatic soft body effector of claim 1, wherein, The base body (2) is made of elastic material, so that the base body (2) deforms along with the deformation of the gas-driven deformation part (1).

6. The pneumatic soft body effector of claim 1, wherein, The insertion rods (3) and the shape customization parts (4) are made of plastic or metal.

7. The pneumatic soft body effector of claim 1, wherein, The shape customization parts (4) are provided with a plurality of second through holes, and the shape customization parts (4) are detachably clamped on a plurality of adjacent insertion rods (3) through the plurality of second through holes.

8. A soft robot, comprising: The utility model further comprises a plurality of the pneumatic soft actuators according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a base (6), the plurality of pneumatic soft actuators being installed on the base (6).

9. The soft robotic body of claim 8, wherein, The number of the pneumatic soft actuators is three, the three pneumatic soft actuators being arranged on the base (6) in a circumferential array around the central axis of the base (6), and the gas source of the three pneumatic soft actuators on the soft robot coming from an external gas source and being controlled by three independent gas sources respectively to control the air pressure in the three pneumatic soft actuators; the base bodies (2) on the three pneumatic soft actuators being installed on the base (6) in a posture facing the central axis of the base (6); alternatively, the base bodies (2) on the three pneumatic soft actuators being installed on the base (6) in a posture facing away from the central axis of the base (6); alternatively, the base bodies (2) on the three pneumatic soft actuators being installed on the base (6) in a posture facing and / or facing away from the central axis of the base (6).

10. The soft robotic body of claim 8, wherein, The utility model further comprises a plurality of connecting members (7) corresponding to the number of the pneumatic soft actuators respectively. The base (6) is formed with a connecting part and a plurality of supporting parts, the base (6) is connected with external equipment through the connecting part, the plurality of supporting parts are arranged around the connecting part, and the plurality of pneumatic soft body actuators are respectively detachably installed on the plurality of supporting parts of the base (6) through a plurality of connecting pieces (7), so that the pose adjustment of the plurality of pneumatic soft body actuators is realized.

Images