Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion
<p>Soft actuators have attracted significant research in various domains owing to their flexible motion characteristics. However, the applications of soft actuators are constrained by their low force-to-weight ratio and maximum shrinkage rate, which is the ratio of the maximum stroke to the ex...
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| Format: | Article |
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Copernicus Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Mechanical Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://ms.copernicus.org/articles/16/61/2025/ms-16-61-2025.pdf |
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| author | R. Xu R. Xu R. Xu Q. Meng Q. Meng Q. Meng Q. Xie Q. Xie Q. Xie Y. Zheng Y. Zheng Y. Zheng C. Fei C. Fei C. Fei V. Parenti Castelli H. Yu H. Yu H. Yu |
| author_facet | R. Xu R. Xu R. Xu Q. Meng Q. Meng Q. Meng Q. Xie Q. Xie Q. Xie Y. Zheng Y. Zheng Y. Zheng C. Fei C. Fei C. Fei V. Parenti Castelli H. Yu H. Yu H. Yu |
| author_sort | R. Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Soft actuators have attracted significant research in various domains owing to their flexible motion characteristics. However, the applications of soft actuators are constrained by their low force-to-weight ratio and maximum shrinkage rate, which is the ratio of the maximum stroke to the extreme length of the actuator, considerably augmenting the driving energy and occupied area. This paper presents a novel dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator capable of providing a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion. The inner tunnel is constructed by the origami mechanism chamber, and the outer tunnel is formed by the origami mechanism in conjunction with the outer soft skin. A programmable design method for the proposed actuator is presented, based on its geometric parameter model and stiffness model. A kinematics model is developed to analyze the motion behavior and characteristics of the actuator's reciprocating motion. The prototype is fabricated using lightweight materials, such as oriented polypropylene and hard cardboard, on which tensile and load experiments are conducted. The results verify the motion characteristics of the soft actuator and the accuracy of the model. Compared to other linear actuators, the soft origami actuator is lightweight (weighing 5 g), has a large maximum shrinkage rate (61 %) and boasts a force-to-weight ratio of 600. The design demonstrates the extensive application potential of soft actuators with the origami mechanism.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b77382d9375d46738914cc5728474f8d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2191-9151 2191-916X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mechanical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-b77382d9375d46738914cc5728474f8d2025-01-24T15:46:10ZengCopernicus PublicationsMechanical Sciences2191-91512191-916X2025-01-0116617310.5194/ms-16-61-2025Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motionR. Xu0R. Xu1R. Xu2Q. Meng3Q. Meng4Q. Meng5Q. Xie6Q. Xie7Q. Xie8Y. Zheng9Y. Zheng10Y. Zheng11C. Fei12C. Fei13C. Fei14V. Parenti Castelli15H. Yu16H. Yu17H. Yu18Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, Shanghai 200093, ChinaKey Laboratory of Neural-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai 200093, ChinaRehabilitation Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, Shanghai 200093, ChinaKey Laboratory of Neural-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai 200093, ChinaRehabilitation Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, Shanghai 200093, ChinaKey Laboratory of Neural-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai 200093, ChinaRehabilitation Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, Shanghai 200093, ChinaKey Laboratory of Neural-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai 200093, ChinaRehabilitation Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, Shanghai 200093, ChinaKey Laboratory of Neural-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai 200093, ChinaDepartment of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna 40126, ItalyRehabilitation Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, Shanghai 200093, ChinaKey Laboratory of Neural-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai 200093, China<p>Soft actuators have attracted significant research in various domains owing to their flexible motion characteristics. However, the applications of soft actuators are constrained by their low force-to-weight ratio and maximum shrinkage rate, which is the ratio of the maximum stroke to the extreme length of the actuator, considerably augmenting the driving energy and occupied area. This paper presents a novel dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator capable of providing a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion. The inner tunnel is constructed by the origami mechanism chamber, and the outer tunnel is formed by the origami mechanism in conjunction with the outer soft skin. A programmable design method for the proposed actuator is presented, based on its geometric parameter model and stiffness model. A kinematics model is developed to analyze the motion behavior and characteristics of the actuator's reciprocating motion. The prototype is fabricated using lightweight materials, such as oriented polypropylene and hard cardboard, on which tensile and load experiments are conducted. The results verify the motion characteristics of the soft actuator and the accuracy of the model. Compared to other linear actuators, the soft origami actuator is lightweight (weighing 5 g), has a large maximum shrinkage rate (61 %) and boasts a force-to-weight ratio of 600. The design demonstrates the extensive application potential of soft actuators with the origami mechanism.</p>https://ms.copernicus.org/articles/16/61/2025/ms-16-61-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | R. Xu R. Xu R. Xu Q. Meng Q. Meng Q. Meng Q. Xie Q. Xie Q. Xie Y. Zheng Y. Zheng Y. Zheng C. Fei C. Fei C. Fei V. Parenti Castelli H. Yu H. Yu H. Yu Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion Mechanical Sciences |
| title | Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion |
| title_full | Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion |
| title_fullStr | Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion |
| title_short | Design and validation of a programmable dual-tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion |
| title_sort | design and validation of a programmable dual tunnel soft pneumatic origami actuator with a large maximum shrinkage rate for reciprocating motion |
| url | https://ms.copernicus.org/articles/16/61/2025/ms-16-61-2025.pdf |
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