Soft Wearable Robotics: Innovative Knitting-Integrated Approaches for Pneumatic Actuators Design
Mingke Wang, Yi Zhou, Rebecca Stewart
Abstract
Soft wearable robotics presents an opportunity to bridge robotics and textiles, offering lightweight, flexible, and ergonomic solutions for human-robot interaction, but previous studies on wearable soft robotics primarily focus on actuator performance without also considering wearability and interactivity. A rudimentary attachment method is usually adopted using external fixation devices such as straps to attach actuators to the user’s body, resulting in a poor wearing experience. This study focus on compatible and compact textile architectures to support actuators to be seamlessly integrated into daily wearing. It presents a research-through-design method to propose innovative knitting-integrated approaches for pneumatic actuator design to provide soft wearable robots with both aesthetic and functional values. Through a series of tests in which various knitting techniques and parameters are used to create sleeves that house silicone actuators, it explores design possibilities and understands the complex relationships between textiles and actuators. The findings contribute to advancing soft wearable robotics by offering practical solutions for integrating pneumatic actuators seamlessly into wearable textiles, thereby unlocking new possibilities for human-centered robotic systems.