Multi-Module Variable Stiffness Manipulator
This project presents a soft multi-multimodule manipulator with a controllable stiffness. The materials and design are bioinspired and try to reproduce some biological capabilities of the octopus, such as elongation, omni-directional bending and stiffness variation.
The manipulator integrates three modules made by Silicone Ecoflex 0050. The arm is pneumatically actuated with low pressures (0 - 650 mbar) and it is able to bend and elongate. An external braided sheath optimizes the 3D motion performance. A granular jamming mechanism is integrated inside each module allowing the stiffness tuning of the manipulator.
With appropriate modifications, the manipulator can be used for manipulation of objects, exploration of unknown environments or surgical procedures. In the Case Study section a medical application is presented.
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Contributors
Iris De Falco
Bibliography
Cianchetti et al. (2013) STIFF-FLOP Surgical Manipulator: mechanical design and experimental characterization of the single module.
De Falco et al. (2014) A soft and controllable stiffness manipulator for minimally invasive surgery: preliminary characterization of the modular design.
De Falco et al. (2014) STIFF-FLOP surgical manipulator: design and preliminary motion evaluation.
De Falco et al. (2015) Design and fabrication of an elastomeric unit for soft modular robots in minimally invasive surgery.
Ranzani et al. (2013) A modular soft manipulator with variable stiffness.
Elsayed et al. (2014) Finite Element Analysis and Design Optimization of a Pneumatically Actuating Silicone Module for Robotic Surgery Applications.
L. Vyas et al. (2011) Flexible Robotics.
Laschi et al. (2014) Soft Robotics: new perspectives for robot bodyware and control.
Cheng et al. (2012) Design and Analysis of a Robust, Low-cost, Highly Articulated Manipulator Enabled by Jamming of Granular Media.
Allen et al. (2014) Robotic Granular Jamming: Does the Membrane Matter?