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Actuators
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Soft Actuation: State of the Art and Outlook, Volume II-...
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Soft Actuation: State of the Art and Outlook, Volume II- Research Advances

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825). This special issue belongs to the section "Actuators for Robotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 4558

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Aslan Miriyev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physical AI (PAI) Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
Interests: physical AI (PAI); material intelligence; soft-material robotics; bio-hybrid robotics; soft actuation; bio-hybrid actuation; soft and structural functional composites; multi-material systems; advanced manufacturing; 3D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adapting to rapidly changing global conditions increases humanity's dependence on advanced technologies. Climate cataclysms, environmental disasters, and epidemics have tested many technological domains. Breakthrough technologies, mature enough for implementation, rapidly find their way to the front line to solve critical issues.

Soft robotics possesses the potential to become a technological game-changer and help humanity overcome future global challenges. Indeed, the efforts to minimize humans’ role in dangerous, urgent tasks have significantly increased the demand for robots capable of actively assisting or substituting humans. However, there are still no intelligent adaptive robots capable of consistently collaborating with people beyond the strict execution of pre-programmed tasks in either emergencies or routine procedures.

Several technological limitations have hindered the development of such nature-like robots. One of the main gaps has been the lack of reliable soft actuators with characteristics comparable to those of biological muscles. These include high actuation stress and strain, a wide range of actuation frequencies, high energy density, and repeatable performance for billions of cycles. On the system level, such actuators should also be compatible with the sensing and computation components of the robot. The bar is high, and intensive research is being conducted around the globe to develop advanced soft actuators and realize the full potential of soft robotics.

Preparing the soft robotics field for future global challenges requires acknowledging the achievements in soft actuation, admitting its technological gaps, and detailing the domain's future development vectors. As most experimental research in various disciplines has been put on hold due to the pandemic, now may be the most suitable time for this effort.

Following the success of Volume I of this Special Issue, which included five review and perspective papers, we decided to broaden the scope and compile a second volume for the publication of all types of manuscripts (reviews, perspectives, and research papers).

This Special Issue of Actuators showcases and discusses new advances in various aspects of soft actuation, both the fundamentals and its applications. I invite you to submit reviews or original research articles for publication in "Soft Actuation: State of the Art and Outlook, Volume II- Research advances".

Dr. Aslan Miriyev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soft actuators
  • soft–hard actuators
  • soft artificial muscles
  • soft actuator sensors
  • advanced manufacturing of soft actuators
  • 3d printing of soft actuators
  • soft actuator design
  • bio-inspired design
  • folding, origami, 4d robots
  • fabric-embedded soft actuators
  • simulation of soft functional matter for soft robotics
  • bio-hybrid actuators and robots
  • physical AI
  • material intelligence

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 24525 KiB  
Article
Monolithic PneuNets Soft Actuators for Robotic Rehabilitation: Methodologies for Design, Production and Characterization
by Monica Tiboni and Davide Loda
Actuators 2023, 12(7), 299; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act12070299 - 24 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1533
Abstract
Soft-robotics for biomedical applications, such as rehabilitation robots, is a field of intense research activity. Different actuation solutions have been proposed in the last decades, involving study and development of soft actuators of different types and materials. The purpose of the paper is [...] Read more.
Soft-robotics for biomedical applications, such as rehabilitation robots, is a field of intense research activity. Different actuation solutions have been proposed in the last decades, involving study and development of soft actuators of different types and materials. The purpose of the paper is to present procedures for an optimized design, and for easy and low cost production and characterization of monolithic PneuNets soft-actuators. An innovative design approach has been developed. The parameterization of the geometry, combined with FEM simulations is the basis for an optimized design of the actuator, as a function of the obtained bending and of the generated forces. Simple and cheap characterization setup and procedures have been identified for the actuator characterization and for simulation results validation. An easy and low-cost fabrication method based on lost wax core obtained through a silicone based mold has been developed for a monolithic PneuNets soft-actuator. The proposed solution performs well in bending, without the need for a strain limiting layer. Experimental results validated simulations, confirming the feasibility of adopting an optimized simulation-based design approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Actuation: State of the Art and Outlook, Volume II- Research Advances)
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18 pages, 9139 KiB  
Article
Variable Stiffness Technologies for Soft Robotics: A Comparative Approach for the STIFF-FLOP Manipulator
by Niccolò Pagliarani, Luca Arleo, Stefano Albini and Matteo Cianchetti
Actuators 2023, 12(3), 96; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act12030096 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2604
Abstract
Soft robots offer a number of advantages over traditional rigid robots in applications such as minimally invasive surgery, where safety and dexterity are required. In previous works, the STIFF-FLOP manipulator has been introduced as a new concept of using soft materials to develop [...] Read more.
Soft robots offer a number of advantages over traditional rigid robots in applications such as minimally invasive surgery, where safety and dexterity are required. In previous works, the STIFF-FLOP manipulator has been introduced as a new concept of using soft materials to develop endoscopic tools with high dexterity and intrinsic safety. However, due to its inherent low stiffness, the ability to generate higher forces and stability when required remains to be further explored. In the state-of-the-art technology, there is no optimal solution that satisfies all the desired requirements in terms of miniaturized dimensions, free lumen for passing tools up to the tip, stiffness variation, and dexterity. In this paper, we compare different variable stiffness technologies and present a novel design that comprises a stiffening system based either on a fiber jamming (FJ) transition or low-melting-point alloys (LMPAs) that can be embedded in the manipulator to widen its applicability by increasing its stability and load bearing capability. The two approaches have been evaluated and compared in terms of variable stiffness capability and dexterity. The results suggest that the LMPA-based solution significantly outperforms previous approaches using similar designs with a higher stiffness variation combined with a good degree of flexibility, while the solution based on FJ guarantees fast transition times and fully satisfies the required safety measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Actuation: State of the Art and Outlook, Volume II- Research Advances)
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