Related papers: Design Optimization for an Electro-Thermally Actua…
Soft electrothermal actuators are of great interest in diverse application domains for their simplicity, compliance, and ease of control. However, the very nature of thermally induced mechanical actuation sets inherent operation…
We present electrothermal microelectromechanical (MEMS) actuators as a practical platform for straining 2D materials. The advantages of the electrothermal actuator is its high output force and displacement for low input voltage, but its…
Novel robotic grippers have captured increasing interests recently because of their abilities to adapt to varieties of circumstances and their powerful functionalities. Differing from traditional gripper with mechanical components-made…
The present study presents a new micro electromagnetic actuator utilizing a PDMS membrane with a magnet. The actuator is integrated with micro coils to electromagnetically actuate the membrane and results in a large deflection. The micro…
Grasping a variety of objects remains a key challenge in the development of versatile robotic systems. The human hand is remarkably dexterous, capable of grasping and manipulating objects with diverse shapes, mechanical properties, and…
The analytical models that predict thermal and mechanical responses of microactuator have been developed. These models are based on electro thermal and thermo mechanical analysis of the microbeam. Also, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used…
We present microfabricated thermal actuators to engineer the biaxial strain in two-dimensional (2D) materials. These actuators are based on microheater circuits patterned onto the surface of a polymer with a high thermal expansion…
Research in soft manipulators has significantly enhanced object grasping capabilities, thanks to their adaptability to various shapes and sizes. Applying this technology to on-orbit servicing, especially during the capture and containment…
In this paper, we propose a single-actuator gripper that can lift thin objects lying on a flat surface, in addition to the ability as a standard parallel gripper. The key is a crawler on the fingertip, which is underactuated together with…
Robotic grippers are widely used in industries for handling objects. This paper presents the procedure of design and fabrication of a stepper motor controlled robotic gripper to be used in industries for handling small objects. The gripper…
Polymers, demonstrating distinctive optical properties alongside facile and mastered fabrication methods, have become increasingly important platforms for realizing a variety of nanophotonic devices. Enhancing these materials with…
Photothermomechanical polymer film actuators stand out among the dynamic components available for soft robotics due to a combination of assets, such as capability for rapid energy transduction, wireless control, and ease of miniaturization.…
Electro-thermally actuated origami provides a novel method for creating 3-D systems with advanced morphing and functional capabilities. However, it is currently difficult to simulate the multi-physical behavior of such systems because the…
We have designed and characterized micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) for applications at low temperatures. The mechanical resonators were fabricated using a surface micromachining process. The devices consist of a pair of parallel…
Miniaturization of devices inculcates the need for small-sized actuators. Actuators in the size of a few centimeters are not uncommon but miniature devices need ones that are less than a few centimeters in dimension. Market for such…
Recently, magnetorheological elastomers have become an interesting smart material with many new designs for robotics. A variety of applications have been built with magnetorheological elastomers, such as vibration absorbers, actuators, or…
Soft robots have been increasingly utilized as sophisticated tools in physical rehabilitation, particularly for assisting patients with neuromotor impairments. However, many soft robotics for rehabilitation applications are characterized by…
Soft grippers are receiving growing attention due to their compliance-based interactive safety and dexterity. Hybrid gripper (soft actuators enhanced by rigid constraints) is a new trend in soft gripper design. With right structural…
Practical use of robotic manipulators made from soft materials requires generating and executing complex motions. We present the first approach for generating trajectories of a thermally-actuated soft robotic manipulator. Based on…
In this paper, design and development of a sensor integrated adaptive gripper is presented. Adaptive grippers are useful for grasping objects of varied geometric shapes by wrapping fingers around the object. The finger closing sequence in…