Related papers: Soft Pneumatic Grippers: Topology optimization, 3D…

Shape optimization of an active and a passive drag-reducing device on a two-dimensional D-shaped bluff body is performed. The two devices are: Coanda actuator, and randomly-shaped trailing-edge flap. The optimization sequence is performed…

Hand impairment following neurological disorders substantially limits independence in activities of daily living, motivating the development of effective assistive and rehabilitation strategies. Soft robotic gloves have attracted growing…

Underwater soft grippers exhibit potential for applications such as monitoring, research, and object retrieval. However, existing underwater gripping techniques frequently cause disturbances to ecosystems. In response to this challenge, we…

In 3D printing, stiff fibers (e.g., carbon fiber) can reinforce thermoplastic polymers with limited stiffness. However, existing commercial digital manufacturing software only provides a few simple fiber layout algorithms, which solely use…

Topology optimization methods have widely been used in various industries, owing to their potential for providing promising design candidates for mechanical devices. However, their applications are usually limited to the objects which do…

The traditional element-based topology optimization based on material penalization typically aims at a 0/1 design. Our numerical experiments reveal that the compliance of a smooth design is overestimated when material properties of boundary…

We consider an elastic model for a circular arch that incorporates membrane, transverse shear, and bending effects. The central line of the arch is partitioned into elements, and an ultra-weak variational formulation is developed alongside…

Plasticity is inherent to many engineering materials such as metals. While it can degrade the load-carrying capacity of structures via material yielding, it can also protect structures through plastic energy dissipation. To fully harness…

This study proposes the topology optimization method for moving rigid bodies subjected to forces from fluid flow, such as sails and turbines, with an unsteady time-dependent formulation. Unlike existing topology optimization frameworks in…

Topology optimization methods face serious challenges when applied to structural design with fluid-structure interaction (FSI) loads, specially for high Reynolds fluid flow. This paper devises an explicit boundary method that employs…

Pneumatic soft robots are typically fabricated by molding, a manual fabrication process that requires skilled labor. Additive manufacturing has the potential to break this limitation and speed up the fabrication process but struggles with…

Soft robots can execute tasks with safer interactions. However, control techniques that can effectively exploit the systems' capabilities are still missing. Differential dynamic programming (DDP) has emerged as a promising tool for…

Designs generated by density-based topology optimization (TO) exhibit jagged and/or smeared boundaries, which forms an obstacle to their integration with existing CAD tools. Addressing this problem by smoothing or manual design adjustments…

This paper presents a topology optimization approach for surface flows, which can represent the viscous and incompressible fluidic motions at the solid/liquid and liquid/vapor interfaces. The fluidic motions on such material interfaces can…

This paper presents the first design of a soft, 3D-printed in flexible filament, lightweight UAV, capable of performing full-body perching using soft tendons, specifically landing and stabilizing on pipelines and irregular surfaces without…

In complex terrain construction environments, there are high demands for robots to achieve both high payload capacity and mobility flexibility. As the key load-bearing component, the optimization of robotic leg structures is of particular…

Developing appropriate analytic-function-based constitutive models for new materials with nonlinear mechanical behavior is demanding. For such kinds of materials, it is more challenging to realize the integrated design from the collection…

In this work we present a framework that is capable of accurately representing soft robotic actuators in a multiphysics environment in real-time. We propose a constraint-based dynamics model of a 1-dimensional pneumatic soft actuator that…

The application of modern topology optimization techniques to single physics systems has seen great advances in the last three decades. However, the application of these tools to sophisticated multiphysics systems such as fluid-structure…

High-tech equipment critically relies on flexures for precise manipulation and measurement. Through elastic deformation, flexures offer extreme position repeatability within a limited range of motion in their degrees of freedom, while…