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Related papers: Efficient Reduced-Order Models for Soft Actuators

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This paper introduces a novel design method that enhances the force/torque, bendability, and controllability of soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs). The complex structure of the soft actuator is simplified by approximating it as a cantilever…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-04-16 Wu-Te Yang , Burak Kurkcu , Masayoshi Tomizuka

Task-driven design of soft robots requires models that are physically accurate and computationally efficient, while remaining transferable across actuator designs and task scenarios. However, existing modeling approaches typically face a…

Robotics · Computer Science 2026-03-23 Yao Yao , David Howard , Perla Maiolino

Many soft-body organisms found in nature flourish underwater. Similarly, soft robots are potentially well-suited for underwater environments partly because the problematic effects of gravity, friction, and harmonic oscillations are less…

Robotics · Computer Science 2022-12-07 W. David Null , Y Z

Precise kinematic modeling is critical in calibration and controller design for soft robots, yet remains a challenging issue due to their highly nonlinear and complex behaviors. To tackle the issue, numerous data-driven machine learning…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-07-11 Zhanhong Jiang , Dylan Shah , Hsin-Jung Yang , Soumik Sarkar

Soft robotic manipulators offer operational advantage due to their compliant and deformable structures. However, their inherently nonlinear dynamics presents substantial challenges. Traditional analytical methods often depend on simplifying…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-10-28 Uljad Berdica , Matthew Jackson , Niccolò Enrico Veronese , Jakob Foerster , Perla Maiolino

Soft robots offer more flexibility, compliance, and adaptability than traditional rigid robots. They are also typically lighter and cheaper to manufacture. However, their use in real-world applications is limited due to modeling challenges…

This paper develops an accurate force control algorithm for series elastic actuators (SEAs) based on a novel force estimation scheme, called transmission force observer (TFOB). The proposed method is designed to improve an inferior force…

Robotics · Computer Science 2019-02-15 Chan Lee , Jinoh Lee , Sehoon Oh

This paper introduces a novel approach for modeling the dynamics of soft robots, utilizing a differentiable filter architecture. The proposed approach enables end-to-end training to learn system dynamics, noise characteristics, and temporal…

Robotics · Computer Science 2023-08-22 Xiao Liu , Shuhei Ikemoto , Yuhei Yoshimitsu , Heni Ben Amor

Developing soft robots that can control their own life-cycle and degrade on-demand while maintaining hyper-elasticity is a significant research challenge. On-demand degradable soft robots, which conserve their original functionality during…

Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) produce motions for soft robots with simple pressure input, however they require to be appropriately designed to fit the target application. Available design methods employ kinematic models and optimization…

Robotics · Computer Science 2023-08-23 Yao Yao , Liang He , Perla Maiolino

Traditional control methods effectively manage robot operations using models like motion equations but face challenges with issues of contact and friction, leading to unstable and imprecise controllers that often require manual tweaking.…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-09-20 Bahador Beigomi , Zheng H. Zhu

Soft robots are notoriously hard to control. This is partly due to the scarcity of models able to capture their complex continuum mechanics, resulting in a lack of control methodologies that take full advantage of body compliance. Currently…

Robotics · Computer Science 2020-09-18 Noel Naughton , Jiarui Sun , Arman Tekinalp , Girish Chowdhary , Mattia Gazzola

This paper is concerned with the problem of estimating (interpolating and smoothing) the shape (pose and the six modes of deformation) of a slender flexible body from multiple camera measurements. This problem is important in both biology,…

Soft robots achieve functionality through tight coupling among geometry, material composition, and actuation. As a result, effective design optimization requires these three aspects to be considered jointly rather than in isolation. This…

Robotics · Computer Science 2026-03-09 Vittorio Candiello , Manuel Mekkattu , Mike Y. Michelis , Robert K. Katzschmann

The growing adoption of lattice-based structures in soft robotics creates a need for advanced sensing solutions capable of monitoring their global deformation, particularly compression and extension. In this work, we address this challenge…

Robotics · Computer Science 2026-05-19 Petr Trunin , Carolina Gay , Anderson Brazil Nardin , Trevor Exley , Diana Cafiso , Lucia Beccai

Conformable robotic systems are attractive for applications in which they can be used to actuate structures with large surface areas, to provide forces through wearable garments, or to realize autonomous robotic systems. We present a new…

Robotics · Computer Science 2019-03-21 Mengjia Zhu , Thanh Nho Do , Elliot Hawkes , Yon Visell

High-density afferents in the human hand have long been regarded as essential for human grasping and manipulation abilities. In contrast, robotic tactile sensors are typically used to provide low-density contact data, such as…

Robotics · Computer Science 2020-06-09 Yashraj S. Narang , Karl Van Wyk , Arsalan Mousavian , Dieter Fox

Successful soft robot modeling approaches appearing in recent literature have been based on a variety of distinct theories, including traditional robotic theory, continuum mechanics, and machine learning. Though specific modeling techniques…

Robotics · Computer Science 2019-02-04 Audrey Sedal , Alan Wineman , R Brent Gillespie , C David Remy

Reduced-order simulation is an emerging method for accelerating physical simulations with high DOFs, and recently developed neural-network-based methods with nonlinear subspaces have been proven effective in diverse applications as more…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-09-09 Aoran Lyu , Shixian Zhao , Chuhua Xian , Zhihao Cen , Hongmin Cai , Guoxin Fang

Bio-inspired soft robots have already shown the ability to handle uncertainty and adapt to unstructured environments. However, their availability is partially restricted by time-consuming, costly and highly supervised design-fabrication…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-04-28 Afonso Silva , Diogo Fonseca , Diogo M. Neto , Mihail Babcinschi , Pedro Neto