Characterisation and control platform for pneumatically driven soft robots
Soft robotics is an emerging field with significant potential in applications such as healthcare, industrial automation, and rehabilitation. Pneumatically driven soft robots offer high flexibility, light-weight designs, and variable stiffness capabilities, but their development requires accurate characterization and validation of kinematics, dynamics, and control strategies. To address this need, we developed a comprehensive characterization and control platform for soft robotic systems.
Our platform integrates advanced hardware and software to enable the evaluation of essential performance metrics, including stiffness, compliance, and force capability. It supports both motion tracking and control implementation using versatile control units such as the NI USB-6341 and Arduino Due. The platform is equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) built on MATLAB, enabling seamless communication, data visualization, and algorithm validation.
Key Features and Outcomes:
- Multi-Functionality: Supports stiffness measurement, force identification, and kinematic/dynamic analysis through electromagnetic tracking and proportional valve systems.
- Practical Demonstrations: The platform was tested on three soft robotic prototypes: A variable stiffness joint, demonstrating precise stiffness characterization. An elastic membrane, showcasing accurate kinematic performance during inflation. A soft continuum robot, validating an open-loop control strategy for inverse kinematics.
- Accessible Design: The platform’s CAD files and Simulink examples are available via a GitHub repository, promoting community-driven innovation in soft robotics.
Impact and Future Directions: This platform standardizes the prototyping and validation process for soft robotic systems, accelerating research and development in this field. Future work will involve integrating additional control algorithms and expanding the platform’s compatibility with new actuator technologies.
More details can be found here