3D printed soft pneumatic actuator with internal 3D lattice structures

Abstract

Soft pneumatic bending actuators (SPBA) are frequently utilised in soft robotics to interact with fragile or irregularly shaped objects. This project delves into the performance disparities resulting from augmenting the inner walls of 3D printed monolithic SPBA with lattice structures. A comparative analysis is conducted between an optimised lattice SPBA design and an optimised non-lattice benchmark design. A parametric investigation is undertaken to comprehend the various effects of lattice parameters on the bending angle and blocked force. The optimised lattice design demonstrates a superior bending angle and blocked force compared to the optimised non-lattice benchmark, showcasing the potential of lattice designs to achieve superior performance than non-lattice designs. Lattice-enhanced designs exhibit a higher bending angle-to-blocked force ratio, suggesting the capability of lattice augmentations to precisely adjust and control the actuators' performance to meet the specific requirements of various applications.