Sandwich Bionic Soft Gripper With Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals who lose hand strength due to illness, injury, or other reasons are unable to perform hand activities such as strong grasping and stable release, leading to inconvenience and negative impacts on physical and mental health.
Innovation Solution
A sandwich bionic soft gripper is developed, comprising a glove with fourteen power structures, each including drivers with flexible heat insulation and electric heating layers, liquid crystal elastomer driving layers, strain sensors, and a variable-stiffness grid layer, allowing for automatic assistance in grasping and releasing objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional rigid grippers are used, then grasping force is sufficient, but adaptability to different object shapes and sizes is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper employs flexible silicone rubber materials for the finger structure, allowing the fingers to bend and deform to match various object shapes while maintaining sufficient grasping force through the flexible actuation mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper transitions from static rigid structures to dynamic flexible structures that can adapt their shape in real-time based on the object being grasped, enabling both shape adaptability and force generation through controlled deformation
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible soft grippers are used, then adaptability to different objects is improved, but grasping force and stability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The strain sensors detect the shape and size of the object in advance, allowing the control system to pre-calculate the appropriate actuation pattern for the flexible fingers to achieve stable grasping force distribution
Solution Approach 2:
Strain sensors are embedded in the flexible fingers to provide real-time feedback on contact forces and deformation, enabling the control system to adjust actuation in real-time to maintain grasping stability
3Ease of operation
If complex actuation mechanisms are added to enhance grasping capability, then device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible fingers are designed to passively adapt to object shapes through their inherent flexibility, reducing the need for complex active adjustment mechanisms while maintaining ease of operation through simple actuation
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
The gripper effectively assists patients in performing hand activities, enhancing their ability to grasp and release objects, thereby improving daily life and physical and mental health outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of liquid crystal elastomer driving layers
Implementation Method 2
a flexible electric heating layer
Implementation Method 3
a flexible water cooling layer
Data Source
AI summary
A sandwich bionic soft gripper capable of automatically assisting in grasping and a preparation method therefor are provided, relating to the technical field of manipulators. The sandwich bionic soft gripper capable of automatically assisting in grasping includes a glove and fourteen power structures. Each power structure includes two drivers, a variable-stiffness grid layer, a pair of transmission skeletons, and a strain sensor. Each driver includes a flexible heat insulation layer, a flexible electric heating layer, a pair of flexible wires A, a flexible packaging layer A, a pair of liquid crystal elastomer driving layers, a thin film temperature sensor, a flexible water cooling layer, and a flexible water pipe. Each strain sensor includes a flexible sensitive layer, a flexible interdigital electrode, a flexible packaging layer B, and a pair of flexible wires B.