Magnetically induced stiffening for soft robotics
Leah T. Gaeta, Kevin McDonald, Lorenzo Kinnicutt, Megan Le, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, Yixiao Jiang, Taylan Atakuru, Evren Samur, Tommaso Ranzani
Abstract
a clutch effect. We introduce an analytical model to predict the stiffness of our samples as a function of the magnetic field. Finally, we demonstrate electronic control of the stiffness using electropermanent magnets. In this way, we present an important step towards a new electronically-driven stiffening mechanism for soft robots that interact safely in close contact with humans, such as in wearable devices.
Topics & Concepts
Soft roboticsStiffeningRobotJammingSoftware portabilityStiffnessRigidity (electromagnetism)Computer scienceRoboticsArtificial intelligenceControl engineeringEngineeringStructural engineeringPhysicsThermodynamicsProgramming languageSoft Robotics and ApplicationsAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting MaterialsMicro and Nano Robotics