Testing

Design 1 Operation and Testing

To operate Design 1, start by connecting the electronics to the a computer with the Arduino IDE installed via a USB cable. Upload the code found on the Downloads page to the Arduino board. Open up the serial monitor in the IDE and the pressure readings should start coming through. Compressing and squeezing the sensor will cause the pressure readings to increase up to a maximum of 10 PSI.

Design 2 Operation and Testing

To operate Design 1, start by connecting the electronics to the a computer with the Arduino IDE installed via a USB cable. Upload the code found on the Downloads page to the Arduino board. Open up the serial monitor in the IDE and the pressure readings should start coming through. Inflating and actuating the PneuNets Bending Actuator will cause the Pneumatic Deformation Sensor to provide 1 PSI of feedback.

Weight-Pressure Relationship of Design 1

Increasing weight was put on the Design 1 sensor starting from 15lbs in order to test how weight on the sensor affected the pressure read by the sensor.

Actuator Volume-Pressure Relationship of Design 2

Increasing volume of air was pumped into the PneuNets Bending Actuator of Design 2 in order to test how the actuators inflation affected the pressure read by the sensor.

Use of PDS with an Automated Control System

One of the purposes for creating Pneumatic Deformation Sensors was to develop an easy method for feedback from soft actuators. This feedback could be used in conjunction with a pneumatic control system to allow the actuators to be smart and more precise. This is shown in the following video, in which the PDS electronics communicates with a pneumatic control system to consistently inflate the actuator. When the sensor detects a pressure higher than 1 PSI, it tells the control system to stop inflating and drain the actuator of air. This results in a very uniform actuation that proves that PDS's can be used as an effective means for feedback in soft robots.