Evaluating mobility behavior of fluid filled fiber-reinforced elastomeric enclosures

Girish Krishnan, Joshua Bishop-Moser, Charles Kim, Sridhar Kota

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Fluid filled Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (FREE) have been popular choices for actuators in prosthetics and soft robots owing to their large power density and cost effective manufacturing. While a narrow class of FREEs known as McKibben's actuators have been extensively studied, there is a wide unexplored class that could be potentially used as actuators and load bearing members. This paper analyzes the mobility of a large class of FREEs based on simple geometric relationships that originate due to the inextensibility of fibers and incompressibility of fluids. The analysis conducted on various families of fibers reveal certain configurations that are locked under fluidic actuation. Furthermore the analysis reveals unrestricted motion in certain directions (freedom) and restrictions in certain other directions (constraint). Such an analysis is deemed to be useful as a preliminary design tool to pick the appropriate geometry for use in design of soft robots and actuators.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication36th Mechanisms and Robotics Conference
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Pages1089-1099
Number of pages11
EditionPARTS A AND B
ISBN (Print)9780791845035
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
EventASME 2012 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE 2012 - Chicago, IL, United States
Duration: Aug 12 2012Aug 12 2012

Publication series

NameProceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference
NumberPARTS A AND B
Volume4

Conference

ConferenceASME 2012 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityChicago, IL
Period8/12/128/12/12

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

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