Inflatable Soft Robotic Actuators for Adaptive Object Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic grippers are expensive, inflexible, and incapable of handling objects with varying weights, sizes, and shapes, limiting their application in manufacturing and packaging where uncertainty and variability are high.
Innovation Solution
Soft robotic actuators made from elastomeric materials that can be inflated with fluid to change shape and conform to objects, allowing for adaptive gripping and manipulation, and can be integrated into systems for positioning, packaging, and assembling tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hard fixturing and positioning devices are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but adaptability to objects with varying weights, sizes, and shapes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs soft robotic actuators made from elastomeric materials that can deform and conform to objects of varying shapes, sizes, and weights. These flexible actuators replace traditional hard fixturing components, enabling adaptive grasping and positioning while maintaining sufficient structural integrity through controlled inflation and material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes inflatable actuators where physical parameters such as volume, pressure, and shape can be dynamically changed by injecting or releasing fluid. This allows the same actuator to adapt to different object characteristics by adjusting its inflation state, thereby achieving versatility without sacrificing strength through controlled parameter variation.
2Force
If conventional robotic grippers are used, then gripping force is improved, but flexibility and ability to handle varying objects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid gripper components with soft elastomeric actuators that can flex and conform to the contours of different objects. These flexible actuators maintain adequate gripping force through controlled inflation while adapting their shape to match the object being handled, thereby achieving both force and flexibility simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable actuators whose physical state can be changed in real-time through fluid injection and release. This dynamic capability allows the gripper to adjust its firmness, shape, and volume to match the specific requirements of different objects, providing both sufficient gripping force and adaptability.
3Reliability
If hard structures are used for manipulating objects, then durability is improved, but ability to conform to target objects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses durable elastomeric materials with high tensile strength and fatigue resistance to construct soft actuators. These materials provide sufficient durability for repeated use while inherently allowing the actuators to conform to various object shapes through their elastic properties, eliminating the need for hard structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite elastomeric materials that combine the durability and strength of reinforced polymers with the flexibility and conformability of soft materials. This composite construction enables the actuators to withstand repeated mechanical stress while maintaining their ability to adapt to different object geometries.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Soft robotic actuators provide a cost-effective, adaptable, and gentle means of handling objects, enabling efficient manipulation and positioning of diverse items without damage, and can be easily reconfigured for different tasks and environments.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomeric body having a reservoir and configured to be inflated by supplying an inflation fluid to the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments relate to applications for soft robotic actuators in the manufacturing, packaging, and food preparation industries, among others. Methods and systems are disclosed for packaging target objects using soft robotic actuators, for moving and positioning target objects and/or receptacles, and/or for diverting or sorting objects. By using soft robotic actuators to perform the fixing, positioning, and/or diverting, objects of different sizes and configurations may be manipulated on the same processing line, without the need to reconfigure the line or install new hardware when a new object is received.