Soft body taking and placing structure, soft body robot and soft body gripper preparation method

Abstract

The invention provides a soft body taking and placing structure, a soft body robot and a soft body gripper preparation method. The soft body taking and placing structure comprises a base and a soft body gripper. And a permanent magnet capable of providing a magnetic field is arranged on the base. The multiple soft grippers are annularly arranged on the base at intervals and correspond to the permanent magnets. Each soft gripper is internally provided with two spiral channels arranged side by side, and the two spiral channels are filled with liquid metal and low-melting-point alloy respectively. The two ends of each spiral channel are correspondingly provided with electric connecting parts. According to the soft body taking and placing structure, it can be guaranteed that bending deformation of the soft body gripper can be achieved only under the action of the magnetic field, a guide structure does not need to be additionally arranged outside the base for assistance, adaptability is improved, and therefore it is guaranteed that the soft body taking and placing structure adapts to diversified task scenes; and meanwhile, the melting time and the cooling time of the low-melting-point alloy can be shortened to a certain extent, so that the working efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of soft robots, and in particular relates to a soft pick-and-place structure, a soft robot, and a method for preparing a soft gripper. Background Art

[0002] The emergence of soft robotics technology has broken through the research boundaries of traditional rigid robots. It uses flexible materials and can combine high flexibility and controllable deformation capabilities, showing unique advantages in driving performance, environmental adaptability, etc., and making up for the problems of traditional rigid robots such as insufficient flexibility, single output mode, inability to meet the deformation and movement needs of soft robots, and insufficient adaptability and safety.

[0003] In the prior art, different studies have been conducted on variable stiffness soft grippers. Soft grippers generally use low-temperature alloys or low-melting-point alloys. The low-temperature alloys or low-melting-point alloys are heated and melted, and then assisted by external forces. It is common to achieve deformation of the soft gripper by attracting an external magnet with the magnet on the soft gripper, which requires an external additional guiding structure, and this structure cannot adapt to a variety of task scenarios. In addition, after the liquid metal is deformed (after the object is clamped and grasped), if you want to maintain a stable load capacity, a certain time interval is required to ensure the solidification of the liquid metal, which undoubtedly leads to reduced work efficiency during actual application. Therefore, the core challenge of realizing the widespread application of soft robots is how to dynamically control their stiffness to adapt to a variety of task scenarios, that is, to improve the excellent environmental adaptability and deformation ability of the soft robot, and to improve the load capacity and work efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present invention provide a soft pick-and-place structure, a soft robot, and a method for preparing a soft gripper, aiming to solve the problem of poor practicality of existing soft pick-and-place structures due to their inability to adapt to diverse task scenarios and low work efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a soft pick-and-place structure, a soft robot, and a method for preparing a soft gripper, comprising: a base, wherein a permanent magnet for providing a magnetic field is provided on the base; A plurality of soft grippers are provided, each of which is arranged on the base in an annular manner and corresponds to the permanent magnet; each of the soft grippers has two spiral channels arranged in parallel, and the two spiral channels are filled with liquid metal and a low-melting-point alloy respectively; each of the two ends of the spiral channel corresponds to an electrical connection portion; Among them, after the low-melting-point alloy is passed through an electric current, it melts into a liquid state through the Joule heating effect; each of the soft grippers performs relative bending deformation to clamp an object or performs opposite bending deformation to release an object through the action of the Lorentz force formed in the liquid metal and the low-melting-point alloy; during the solidification process of the low-melting-point alloy, the shape of the soft gripper is maintained by the Lorentz force formed in the liquid metal.

[0006] In a possible implementation, the liquid metal is a gallium-indium-tin alloy that is liquid at room temperature.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the low melting point alloy is a bismuth-lead-indium-tin-cadmium alloy that is solid at room temperature.

[0008] In a possible implementation, each of the spiral channels is a rectangular spiral structure.

[0009] In a possible implementation, an intermediate heat insulation layer is provided between the two spiral channels.

[0010] In a possible implementation, a gripping space is formed between the soft grippers; and the spiral channel where the low-melting-point alloy is located in each soft gripper is arranged close to the gripping space.

[0011] In a possible implementation, a plurality of connection structures are fixedly provided on the base, each of the connection structures corresponds to each of the soft grippers one by one; each of the connection structures has a clamping position for one end of the corresponding soft gripper to extend into.

[0012] The present invention also provides a soft robot comprising the above-mentioned soft picking and placing structure.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for preparing a soft gripper, which is used to manufacture the above-mentioned soft gripper; a soft pick-and-place structure; wherein the steps of manufacturing the soft gripper in the soft pick-and-place structure include: The soft gripper is designed as a split structure comprising a first carrier layer having a first spiral flow channel, a middle heat insulating layer, a second carrier layer having a second spiral flow channel, and an extraction electrode as an electrical connection portion; Printing the first carrier layer, the middle heat insulation layer, the second carrier layer and the forming mold of the lead-out electrode respectively by 3D printing; Ecoflex0030 silica gel A and B were mixed and stirred in a ratio of 1:1 for 3 minutes, and then degassed with a vacuum pump for 5 minutes, and then poured into the forming molds of the first carrier layer, the second carrier layer and the lead-out electrode respectively; after curing at room temperature for 4 hours, demolding was performed to prepare the first carrier layer, the second carrier layer and the lead-out electrode; the hollow glass microspheres were placed in a 120°C oven and dried for 4 hours to remove surface moisture; at the same time, Ecoflex0030 silica gel A and B were mixed in a mass ratio of 1:1.2 and quickly stirred, and mixed with the treated hollow glass microspheres in a mass ratio of 5:1, stirred at a low speed for 30 minutes, degassed with a vacuum pump for 5 minutes, poured into the forming mold of the middle thermal insulation layer, cured at room temperature for 4 hours, and demolded to prepare the middle thermal insulation layer; The first carrier layer is bonded and packaged with the front surface of the middle thermal insulation layer using a silicone adhesive to form a spiral channel on the front surface of the middle thermal insulation layer; the second carrier layer is bonded and packaged with the back surface of the middle thermal insulation layer to form another spiral channel on the back surface of the middle thermal insulation layer; after the silicone adhesive is cured, the two lead electrodes are bonded and packaged with the first carrier layer and the second carrier layer respectively, and the two electrical connection ports of each lead electrode are adapted to correspond to the two ends of the spiral channel respectively; Liquid metal and low-melting-point alloy are injected into the two spiral channels respectively, and a conductor is inserted into the electrical connection port of the lead-out electrode.

[0014] The present implementation provides a soft pick-and-place structure, in which the two spiral channels provided in each soft gripper are filled with liquid metal and a low-melting-point alloy, respectively, and the fillers in each spiral channel are electrically connected to the corresponding external electrical connection parts. After the low-melting-point alloy and the liquid metal are energized, the low-melting-point alloy will melt into a liquid state due to the Joule heating effect of the current. Subsequently, the charges involved in the low-melting-point alloy and the liquid metal move in the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet and generate a Lorentz force, thereby driving the soft gripper to bend and deform, and the change in the bending direction is achieved by changing the direction of the current. This method can ensure that the bending deformation of the soft gripper can be achieved only with the action of the magnetic field, without the need for an additional guiding structure to be provided on the outside of the base for assistance, thereby improving adaptability and ensuring adaptation to a variety of task scenarios. Moreover, after each soft gripper clamps the object, as the low-melting-point alloy is turned off and solidified, the shape of the soft gripper can be maintained by the Lorentz force generated by the energized liquid metal, further improving adaptability. In addition, the coordinated operation involving liquid metal and low-melting-point alloy can reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the low-melting-point alloy accordingly, thereby reducing the volume of the low-melting-point alloy, and can shorten the melting time and cooling time of the low-melting-point alloy to a certain extent, thereby improving work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the soft pick-and-place structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 (initial state); Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the soft pick-and-place structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 (clamping state); Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the soft pick-and-place structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention Figure 3 (release state); Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the split structure of the soft object pick-and-place structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a soft gripper in a soft object pick-and-place structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the process structure of a method for preparing a soft gripper provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Description of reference numerals: 10. Base; 20. Permanent magnet; 30. Soft gripper; 31. First carrier layer; 32. Second carrier layer; 33. Lead-out electrode; 34. Conductor; 35. Spiral channel; 36. Liquid metal; 37. Low-melting-point alloy; 38. Intermediate thermal insulation layer; 40. Connection structure; 41. Fixing ear; 42. Clamp; 43. Fastener. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0017] Please also refer to Figures 1 to 5 , the soft body picking and placing structure provided by the present invention is now described. The soft body picking and placing structure includes a base 10 and a soft body gripper 30. A permanent magnet 20 capable of providing a magnetic field is provided on the base 10. There are multiple soft body grippers 30, and each soft body gripper 30 is arranged on the base 10 in a ring-shaped interval and corresponds to the permanent magnet 20. Each soft body gripper 30 has two spiral channels 35 arranged in parallel inside, and the two spiral channels 35 are filled with liquid metal 36 and a low-melting-point alloy 37, respectively. There are electrical connection parts corresponding to both ends of each spiral channel 35.

[0018] The soft pick-and-place structure provided by the present invention has the following working principle: after the low-melting-point alloy 37 is passed through an electric current, it melts into a liquid state through the Joule heating effect. Regarding the setting of the spiral channel 35, the vector direction of the charge movement in some areas of the liquid metal 36 and the low-melting-point alloy 37 will be perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet 20, so that the charges in the liquid metal 36 and the low-melting-point alloy 37 move in the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet 20 and generate a Lorentz force. Each soft gripper 30 is subjected to the Lorentz force generated by the liquid metal 36 and the low-melting-point alloy 37 to bend inward relative to each other to clamp the object or bend outward relative to each other to release the object. After the soft gripper 30 bends and deforms, the current of the low-melting-point alloy 37 is disconnected, and the low-melting-point alloy 37 solidifies. During this process, the shape of the soft gripper 30 is maintained by the Lorentz force generated in the liquid metal 36.

[0019] To further understand how this works, refer to the following steps: A01: When electricity is applied to the low-melting-point alloy 37, it is heated to the phase transition point by the Joule heating effect, and a phase change occurs (solid to liquid, i.e. melting). At the same time, due to the existence of a fixed magnetic field, the low-melting-point alloy 37 generates a Lorentz force as long as electricity is applied.

[0020] A02: After the low-melting-point alloy 37 melts into liquid, electricity is applied to the liquid metal 36. The liquid metal 36 generates a Lorentz force, which is effectively superimposed with the Lorentz force of the low-melting-point alloy 37. At this time, the soft gripper 30 opens under the forward current. At the same time, the current is reversed, and the soft gripper 30 closes and flexibly grasps the object, showing flexibility.

[0021] A03: The low-melting-point alloy 37 is cooled and solidified after power is turned off (since cooling takes time, the liquid metal 36 needs to remain energized during this time to continuously provide the clamping force required for closed clamping).

[0022] A04: After the low-melting-point alloy 37 solidifies (from liquid to solid), the soft gripper 30 is in a rigid state, the stiffness of the soft gripper 30 is greatly increased, and the shape remains fixed; at this time, the power to the liquid metal 36 is cut off. Since the shape of the low-melting-point alloy 37 is maintained, the soft gripper 30 can always maintain the grasping state, realizing passive (no power) grasping.

[0023] It is necessary to explain the pick-and-place process of the soft pick-and-place structure provided in this embodiment. The soft pick-and-place structure can achieve adaptive adjustment of variable stiffness, that is, including flexible grasping and rigid grasping.

[0024] Flexible grasping is mainly aimed at relatively flexible and lightweight loads, and involves liquid metal 36 being in liquid state. At this time, flexible grasping of the object can be achieved directly through the low-melting-point alloy 37 alone, that is, only the low-melting-point alloy 37 is continuously energized, and the low-melting-point alloy 37 is continuously kept in liquid state.

[0025] Rigid gripping is primarily targeted at rigid objects with heavy loads. For example, for a rigid load of a certain weight, after the low-melting-point alloy 37 melts, electricity is applied to the liquid metal 36. After the low-melting-point alloy 37 solidifies, the electricity is removed. This locks the shape of the object being gripped, achieving passive gripping. For heavier loads, current can be continuously applied to the liquid metal 36 before and after the low-melting-point alloy 37 solidifies. The Lorentz force generated by the liquid metal 36 further provides gripping force.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the soft pick-and-place structure provided in this embodiment has two spiral channels 35 provided in each soft gripper 30, which are filled with liquid metal 36 and low-melting-point alloy 37, respectively, and the fillers in each spiral channel 35 are electrically connected to the corresponding external electrical connection parts. After the low-melting-point alloy 37 and the liquid metal 36 are energized, the low-melting-point alloy 37 will melt into a liquid state due to the Joule heat effect of the current. Subsequently, the charges involved in the low-melting-point alloy 37 and the liquid metal 36 move in the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet 20 and generate a Lorentz force, thereby driving the soft gripper 30 to bend and deform, and changing the bending direction by changing the direction of the current. This method can ensure that the bending deformation of the soft gripper 30 can be achieved only with the action of the magnetic field, without the need to set an additional guiding structure on the outside of the base 10 for assistance, thereby improving adaptability and ensuring adaptation to a variety of task scenarios. Moreover, after each soft gripper 30 grips an object, as the low-melting-point alloy 37 solidifies after power is turned off, the shape of the soft gripper 30 can be maintained by the Lorentz force generated by the energized liquid metal 36, further improving adaptability.

[0027] Furthermore, the coordinated operation of liquid metal 36 and low-melting-point alloy 37 allows the cross-sectional area of ​​low-melting-point alloy 37 to be reduced accordingly. For example, in the prior art, when low-melting-point alloy 37 is used alone, its cross-section needs to be 3mm*3mm to ensure its rigid load. However, when the structure of liquid metal 36 and low-melting-point alloy 37 is combined in this solution, the liquid metal 36 can still provide a constant clamping force, so the cross-sectional area of ​​low-melting-point alloy 37 can be made into 1.5mm*1.5mm. This structure can reduce the volume of low-melting-point alloy 37, shorten the melting and cooling time of low-melting-point alloy 37 to a certain extent, and thus improve work efficiency.

[0028] In this example, the base 10 can be connected to the end of the arm of the soft robot.

[0029] Regarding a preferred arrangement of the permanent magnets 20, the base 10 may be provided with an end face for connection to each soft gripper 30. The corresponding permanent magnet 20 may be located inside the base 10, with its N pole facing the end face.

[0030] In some embodiments, the liquid metal 36 is a gallium-indium-tin alloy that is liquid at room temperature, including 68.5% gallium, 21.5% indium, and 10% tin. This ratio can ensure that its melting point is 6-10°C, that is, it is liquid at room temperature, so as to ensure the shape of the auxiliary soft gripper 30 during the solidification stage of the low-melting-point alloy 37. At the same time, it can also enable the electromagnetic force of the liquid metal 36 and the low-melting-point alloy 37 to be superimposed, assisting the low-melting-point alloy 37 to jointly grasp the object and improve the load capacity.

[0031] In some embodiments, the low-melting-point alloy 37 is a bismuth-lead-indium-tin-cadmium alloy that is solid at room temperature, including 45% bismuth, 23% lead, 19% indium, 8% tin, and 5% cadmium. This ratio can ensure that its melting point is 47°C, that is, it is solid at room temperature, so as to ensure that it can be completely melted in a short time when power is applied, and can also ensure rapid solidification to improve work efficiency.

[0032] In some embodiments, the spiral channel 35 may be formed as follows: Figure 5 The structure shown. Figure 5 , each spiral channel 35 is a rectangular spiral structure.

[0033] The spiral channel 35 with a rectangular spiral structure can ensure that multiple parallel straight line segments perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field are formed at the end of the soft gripper 30 away from the base 10, so as to ensure that the movement direction of the charge is perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field after power is turned on, thereby maximizing the Lorentz force and generating a larger magnetic torque, thereby ensuring the bending deformation effect of the soft gripper 30.

[0034] For further explanation of the spiral channel 35 , the soft gripper 30 as a whole may be a rectangular sheet structure, and each spiral channel 35 may be distributed on both sides of the soft gripper 30 along the thickness direction of the soft gripper 30 , with the spiral tracks being arranged to overlap.

[0035] Of course, when it comes to picking up and placing some larger objects, the soft gripper 30 can also be an isosceles trapezoidal structure, and the corresponding spiral channel 35 can be a rectangular spiral structure, or an isosceles trapezoidal spiral structure adapted to the isosceles trapezoidal structure. This structure can increase the length of the straight line segment perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field, thereby increasing the Lorentz force, which can further improve the efficiency of bending deformation.

[0036] In some embodiments, the soft gripper 30 may be used as follows: Figure 5 The structure shown. Figure 5 An intermediate heat insulating layer 38 is provided between the two spiral channels 35 .

[0037] Since the liquid metal 36 will continue to generate Joule heat when it is energized, the function of the middle thermal insulation layer 38 is to isolate the Joule heat of the liquid metal 36 as much as possible, reduce the transfer of heat to the side of the low-melting-point alloy 37, reduce the thermal impact on the cooling of the low-melting-point alloy, and thus ensure that the low-melting-point alloy 37 can be cooled and solidified in time.

[0038] For further understanding, the soft gripper 30 mentioned in this embodiment may include a first carrier layer 31 having a first spiral flow channel, a middle thermal insulation layer 38, a second carrier layer 32 having a second spiral flow channel, and an extraction electrode 33 as an electrical connection portion. The first carrier layer 31 and the second carrier layer 32 may sandwich the middle thermal insulation layer 38 therebetween, and the three are integrally connected by an adhesive, and finally the first spiral flow channel and the second spiral flow channel form spiral channels 35 on both sides of the middle thermal insulation layer 38, respectively. At the same time, the two extraction electrodes 33 may be respectively arranged on the outside of the first carrier layer 31 and the second carrier layer 32, and a conductive circuit is formed through the conductor 34 inside the extraction electrode 33 and the filler inside the two spiral channels 35.

[0039] The first carrier layer 31 , the second carrier layer 32 and the lead-out electrode 33 may all be made of silica gel, and the intermediate heat insulating layer 38 may be a mixture of silica gel and hollow glass microspheres.

[0040] In some embodiments, the soft gripper 30 may be used as follows: Figures 1 to 3 The structure shown. Figures 1 to 3 A gripping space is formed between each soft gripper 30. The spiral channel 35 where the low melting point alloy 37 is located in each soft gripper 30 is arranged close to the gripping space.

[0041] The spiral channel 35 where the low-melting-point alloy 37 is located is close to the gripping space, ensuring that after grasping the object, it can approach the object, absorb the cold energy from the object, and achieve rapid heat exchange with the object, accelerating solidification. At the same time, this structure can also ensure the stability of the object's grip.

[0042] In some embodiments, see Figure 4 A plurality of connecting structures 40 are fixedly provided on the base 10, and each connecting structure 40 corresponds to each soft gripper 30. Each connecting structure 40 has a clamping position for one end of the corresponding soft gripper 30 to extend into.

[0043] The connecting structure 40 is mainly capable of ensuring that the soft gripper 30 is fixedly clamped and fixed to the base 10. The soft gripper 30 is a sheet-like structure, so the soft gripper 30 can be effectively fixedly clamped by the clamping position.

[0044] It should be noted that when the soft gripper 30 extends into the clamping position, it is necessary to ensure that part of the spiral channel 35 enters the clamping position to ensure that the low-melting-point alloy 37 can be rigidly fixed after solidification.

[0045] As a specific implementation of the connection structure 40 in this embodiment, each connection structure 40 may include a fixing ear 41, a splint 42 and a fastener 43. There are two fixing ears 41, and the two fixing ears 41 are fixed on the base 10 and are arranged at intervals. There are two splints 42, and the two splints 42 are arranged in parallel and at intervals, and the two splints 42 clamp the two fixing ears 41 therein, and a clamping position is formed between the two splints 42. There are two fasteners 43, which correspond to the two fixing ears 41 one by one. Each fastener 43 integrally connects the corresponding fixing ear 41 and one end of the two splints 42. The fastener 43 may be a locking bolt.

[0046] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a soft robot, including the above-mentioned soft picking and placing structure.

[0047] Compared with the prior art, the soft robot provided in this embodiment can ensure that the bending deformation of the soft gripper 30 can be achieved only by the action of a magnetic field through the soft pick-and-place structure adopted, without the need for an additional guiding structure to be provided on the outside of the base 10 for assistance, thereby improving adaptability and ensuring adaptation to a variety of task scenarios. Moreover, after each soft gripper 30 clamps the object, as the low-melting-point alloy 37 is turned off and solidified, the shape of the soft gripper 30 can be maintained by the thrust generated by the energized liquid metal 36, further improving adaptability. In addition, the coordinated operation of the liquid metal 36 and the low-melting-point alloy 37 can reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the low-melting-point alloy 37 accordingly, thereby reducing the volume of the low-melting-point alloy 37, and shortening the melting time and cooling time of the low-melting-point alloy 37 to a certain extent, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0048] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a method for preparing a soft gripper, which can be found in Figure 6 , capable of producing the above-mentioned soft pick-and-place structure; wherein, the steps of producing the soft gripper 30 in the soft pick-and-place structure include: S100 designs the split structure of the soft gripper 30: the soft gripper 30 is designed as a split structure having a first carrier layer 31 with a first spiral flow channel, a middle thermal insulation layer 38, a second carrier layer 32 with a second spiral flow channel, and an extraction electrode 33 as an electrical connection part.

[0049] S200: Making a forming mold: Printing the forming molds of the first carrier layer 31, the middle heat insulation layer 38, the second carrier layer 32 and the lead-out electrode 33 respectively through 3D printing.

[0050] S300: Separately cast the components of the soft gripper 30: Ecoflex 0030 silicone rubbers A and B were mixed and stirred in a 1:1 ratio for 3 minutes. After vacuum pumping and degassing for 5 minutes, the mixture was poured into the molds for the first carrier layer 31, the second carrier layer 32, and the lead electrode 33. Excess silicone rubber was scraped off with a squeegee. After curing at room temperature for 4 hours, the mixture was demolded to produce the first carrier layer 31, the second carrier layer 32, and the lead electrode 33. The hollow glass microspheres were dried in a 120°C oven for 4 hours to remove surface moisture. Simultaneously, Ecoflex 0030 silicone rubbers A and B were mixed in a 1:1.2 mass ratio and quickly stirred. The mixture was then mixed with the treated hollow glass microspheres in a 5:1 mass ratio. After low-speed stirring for 30 minutes, vacuum pumping and degassing for 5 minutes, the mixture was poured into the mold for the intermediate thermal insulation layer 38. Excess silicone rubber was scraped off with a squeegee. After curing at room temperature for 4 hours, the mixture was demolded to produce the intermediate thermal insulation layer 38.

[0051] S400: Bonding the split structure of the soft gripper 30: Using silicone adhesive, bond the first carrier layer 31 to the front of the middle insulation layer 38, forming a spiral channel 35 on the front of the middle insulation layer 38. Then, bond the second carrier layer 32 to the back of the middle insulation layer 38, forming another spiral channel 35 on the back of the middle insulation layer 38. After the silicone adhesive cures, bond the two lead electrodes 33 to the first carrier layer 31 and the second carrier layer 32, respectively, and ensure that the two electrical connection ports of each lead electrode 33 are aligned with the two ends of the spiral channel 35.

[0052] S500 injects fillers and completes the extraction electrode 33 : injects liquid metal 36 and low-melting-point alloy 37 into the two spiral channels 35 respectively, and inserts the conductor 34 into the electrical connection port of the extraction electrode 33 .

[0053] Compared with the prior art, the preparation method of the soft gripper provided in this embodiment is a method in which the soft gripper 30 is set as a split combined structure. At the same time, the first carrier layer 31, the middle insulation layer 38 and the second carrier layer 32 are all based on silicone and adopt economical and efficient injection molding and bonding methods, which can be easily manufactured and can effectively ensure the generation of a reliable rectangular spiral flow channel to achieve a more efficient driving current.

[0054] As a specific implementation of step S500: Filling the liquid metal 36: For the bonded and encapsulated soft gripper 30, a syringe is used to draw an appropriate amount of liquid metal 36 and inject it through the beginning of the spiral channel 35 corresponding to one of the lead-out electrodes 33. Another syringe is used to pump air out of the channel at the end. Injection and pumping occur simultaneously. Once the liquid metal 36 has completely filled the spiral channel 35, the syringe is removed. Conductors 34 are then inserted into both ends of the spiral channel 35 through the lead-out electrodes 33 and electrically connected to the liquid metal 36.

[0055] Filling the low-melting-point alloy 37: Place an appropriate amount of solid low-melting-point alloy 37 in a container and place it on a heating table, heating it to a constant temperature of 60°C to melt it into a liquid state. For the bonded and encapsulated soft gripper 30, inject an appropriate amount of liquid low-melting-point alloy 37 into the spiral channel 35 corresponding to one of the lead-out electrodes 33 using a syringe. A second syringe then pumps air out of the channel at the end. This process occurs simultaneously. Once the liquid low-melting-point alloy 37 has completely filled the channel, the syringe is removed. Conductors 34 are then inserted into both ends of the spiral channel 35 through the lead-out electrodes 33 and electrically connected to the low-melting-point alloy 37.

[0056] It should be noted that the lead-out electrode 33 and the conductor 34 therein form an electrical connection portion in combination.

[0057] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. Software pick-and-place structure, characterized in that, include: a base, wherein a permanent magnet for providing a magnetic field is provided on the base; A plurality of soft grippers are provided, each of which is arranged on the base in an annular manner and corresponds to the permanent magnet; each of the soft grippers has two spiral channels arranged in parallel, and the two spiral channels are filled with liquid metal and a low-melting-point alloy respectively; each of the two ends of the spiral channel corresponds to an electrical connection portion; Among them, after the low-melting-point alloy is passed through an electric current, it melts into a liquid state through the Joule heating effect; each of the soft grippers performs relative bending deformation to clamp an object or performs opposite bending deformation to release an object through the action of the Lorentz force formed in the liquid metal and the low-melting-point alloy; during the solidification process of the low-melting-point alloy, the shape of the soft gripper is maintained by the Lorentz force formed in the liquid metal.

2. The soft object pick-and-place structure according to claim 1, wherein: The liquid metal is a gallium-indium-tin alloy that is liquid at room temperature.

3. The soft object pick-and-place structure according to claim 1, wherein: The low melting point alloy is a bismuth-lead-indium-tin-cadmium alloy that is solid at room temperature.

4. The soft object pick-and-place structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Each of the spiral channels is a rectangular spiral structure.

5. The soft object pick-and-place structure according to claim 4, wherein: An intermediate heat insulation layer is provided between the two spiral channels.

6. The soft object pick-and-place structure according to claim 1, wherein: A gripping space is formed between each of the soft grippers; and the spiral channel where the low-melting-point alloy is located in each of the soft grippers is arranged close to the gripping space.

7. The soft object pick-and-place structure according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of connecting structures are fixedly provided on the base, and each of the connecting structures corresponds to each of the soft grippers one by one; each of the connecting structures has a clamping position for one end of the corresponding soft gripper to extend into.

8. A soft robot, characterized in that The invention comprises the soft pick-and-place structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for preparing a soft gripper, characterized in that: Used to manufacture the soft pick-and-place structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7; wherein the steps of manufacturing the soft gripper in the soft pick-and-place structure include: The soft gripper is designed as a split structure comprising a first carrier layer having a first spiral flow channel, a middle heat insulating layer, a second carrier layer having a second spiral flow channel, and an extraction electrode as an electrical connection portion; Printing the first carrier layer, the middle heat insulation layer, the second carrier layer and the forming mold of the lead-out electrode respectively by 3D printing; Ecoflex0030 silica gel A and B were mixed and stirred in a ratio of 1:1 for 3 minutes, and then degassed with a vacuum pump for 5 minutes, and then poured into the forming molds of the first carrier layer, the second carrier layer and the lead-out electrode respectively; after curing at room temperature for 4 hours, demolding was performed to prepare the first carrier layer, the second carrier layer and the lead-out electrode; the hollow glass microspheres were placed in a 120°C oven and dried for 4 hours to remove surface moisture; at the same time, Ecoflex0030 silica gel A and B were mixed in a mass ratio of 1:1.2 and quickly stirred, and mixed with the treated hollow glass microspheres in a mass ratio of 5:1, stirred at a low speed for 30 minutes, degassed with a vacuum pump for 5 minutes, poured into the forming mold of the middle thermal insulation layer, cured at room temperature for 4 hours, and demolded to prepare the middle thermal insulation layer; The first carrier layer is bonded and packaged with the front surface of the middle thermal insulation layer using a silicone adhesive to form a spiral channel on the front surface of the middle thermal insulation layer; the second carrier layer is bonded and packaged with the back surface of the middle thermal insulation layer to form another spiral channel on the back surface of the middle thermal insulation layer; after the silicone adhesive is cured, the two lead electrodes are bonded and packaged with the first carrier layer and the second carrier layer respectively, and the two electrical connection ports of each lead electrode are adapted to correspond to the two ends of the spiral channel respectively; Liquid metal and low-melting-point alloy are injected into the two spiral channels respectively, and a conductor is inserted into the electrical connection port of the lead-out electrode.

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