Available Technology
Soft robotic actuators
Technology:
Micro-pneumatic networks embedded in elastomeric membranes
Markets Addressed
Robotics play an increasingly important role in many manufacturing, surgery, military and household applications. Typically robots are employed instead of humans because they fulfill a specific task faster, cheaper, and/or better (e.g., no tremor in surgery). Robots are also extremely useful for tasks too hazardous for human beings (e.g., defuse a bomb).
Innovations and Advantages
Currently, almost every robotic system is composed of a hard skeleton with just enough joints and actuators for the specific application. This invention describes how soft robotic actuators can be built based on pneumatic networks embedded in soft materials such as PDMS or Ecoflex plastic. By controlling the geometry of the pneumatic chambers and the local stiffness of the walls, a particular design can be optimized for a specific motion. Applying pressure to the network initiates the motion. For more complex motions, multiple networks can also be embedded within one piece of elastomer. As such, soft robotic actuators have several advantages over traditional robotics designs. Because they do not have pre-defined joints, they function well under spatial constraints and are capable of working with irregularly shaped objects (e.g. picking/sorting applications). Further, they are very versatile and can be easily optimized for a particular application. Once a prototype is designed, their production is also extremely inexpensive and scalable, making soft robotics ideal for disposable devices (e.g., for medical or food-sorting applications in which sterility is a concern).
Additional Information
Intellectual Property Status: Patent pending
Publication: Unpublished
Website: The Whitesides Research Group
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Inventor(s):
Chen, Xin
Choi, Won Jae
Ilievski, Filip
Kwok, Sen Wai
Martinez, Ramses V.
Mazzeo, Aaron D.
Morin, Stephen
Nie, Zhihong
Shepherd, Robert Foster
Stokes, Adam A.
Whitesides, George M.
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For further information, please contact:
Sam Liss, Director of Business Development
(617) 495-4371
Reference Harvard Case #3864