Related papers: Soft Pneumatic Grippers: Topology optimization, 3D…
With the increasing power density of electronics components, the heat dissipation capacity of heat sinks gradually becomes a bottleneck. Many structural optimization methods, including topology optimization, have been widely used for heat…
In this paper we report a new promising idea on the design and manufacturing of ply composite structures, tailored to exhibit maximum stiffness under given weight constraints and loading conditions. It is based on the idea behind an…
A topology optimization approach for designing large deformation contact-aided shape morphing compliant mechanisms is presented. Such mechanisms can be used in varying operating conditions. Design domains are described by regular hexagonal…
Shells, i.e., objects made of a thin layer of material following a surface, are among the most common structures in use. They are highly efficient, in terms of material required to maintain strength, but also prone to deformation and…
This paper presents a density-based topology optimization approach to design structures under self-weight load. Such loads change their magnitude and/or location as the topology optimization advances and pose several unique challenges,…
3D-printed bellow soft pneumatic arms are widely adopted for their flexible design, ease of fabrication, and large deformation capabilities. However, their low stiffness limits their real-world applications. Although several methods exist…
Soft robot arms have made significant progress towards completing human-scale tasks, but designing arms for tasks with specific load and workspace requirements remains difficult. A key challenge is the lack of model-based design tools,…
In aerospace engineering, there is a growing demand for lightweight design through topology optimization. This paper presents a novel design optimization method for stiffened air rudders, commonly used for aircraft attitude control, based…
The Projected Gradient Descent (PGD) algorithm is a widely used and efficient first-order method for solving constrained optimization problems due to its simplicity and scalability in large design spaces. Building on recent advancements in…
Customized grippers have broad applications in industrial assembly lines. Compared with general parallel grippers, the customized grippers have specifically designed fingers to increase the contact area with the workpieces and improve the…
Metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes often fabricate a near-net shape that includes the as-designed part as well as the sacrificial support structures that need to be machined away by subtractive manufacturing (SM), for instance…
Compression of soft bodies is central to biology, materials science, and robotics, yet existing contact theories break down at large deformations. Here, we develop a general framework for soft-body compression by extending the method of…
Soft grippers are gaining momentum across applications due to their flexibility and dexterity. However, the infinite-dimensionality and non-linearity associated with soft robots challenge modeling and closed-loop control of soft grippers to…
Soft pneumatic actuators are widely used in soft robotics because they can produce large motions while remaining compliant enough to interact safely with objects, environments, and the human body. However, their performance is not solely…
A topology optimization method is presented for the design of periodic microstructured materials with prescribed homogenized nonlinear constitutive properties over finite strain ranges. The mechanical model assumes linear elastic isotropic…
Soft robots utilizing inflatable dielectric membranes can realize intricate functionalities through the application of non-mechanical fields. However, given the current limitations in simulations, including low computational efficiency and…
In a topology optimization setting, design-dependent fluidic pressure loads pose several challenges as their direction, magnitude, and location alter with topology evolution. This paper offers a compact 100-line MATLAB code, TOPress, for…
Mechanical product engineering often must comply with manufacturing or geometric constraints related to the shaping process. Mechanical design hence should rely on robust and fast tools to explore complex shapes, typically for design for…
A tunable stiffness bone rod was designed, optimized, and 3D printed to address the common shortcomings of existing bone rods in the healing of long fractured bones. The common deficiencies of existing bone fixations are high stiffness,…
Although research studies in pneumatic soft robots develop rapidly, most pneumatic actuators are still controlled by rigid valves and conventional electronics. The existence of these rigid, electronic components sacrifices the compliance…