Designing behaviour of 3D-printed soft robots
Themes: Robotics
Early lab scale demonstration
A TRL is a measure to indicate the matureness of a developing technology. When an innovative idea is discovered it is often not directly suitable for application. Usually such novel idea is subjected to further experimentation, testing and prototyping before it can be implemented. The image below shows how to read TRL’s to categorise the innovative ideas.
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Why?
The benefits of soft materials in robotics (compliance, lightweight, safe) enable new robotic products with improved human-robot interaction. The behaviour of these soft robotic products can be embedded throughout their 3D-printed design.
How?
In soft robotics, form and function are closely intertwined: actuators and sensors can be directly 3D-printed and changes in their form and material distribution can customize their behaviour.
When?
A software programme that uses mathematical methods such as topology optimisation to generate designs with the desired behaviour is being develop. This enables industrial application of customised soft robotic grippers and orthotics in a couple of years.
Ir. Rob Scharff