Printable Hydraulics: A Method for Fabricating Robots by 3D Co-Printing Solids and Liquids
This addresses the challenge of complex robot fabrication for robotics researchers and engineers, offering a novel method to streamline production.
The paper tackles the problem of fabricating functional robots by introducing a technique for 3D co-printing solids and liquids, enabling automatic creation of hydraulically actuated robots like linear bellows actuators, gear pumps, soft grippers, and a hexapod robot without assembly.
This work introduces a novel technique for fabricating functional robots using 3D printers. Simultaneously depositing photopolymers and a non-curing liquid allows complex, pre-filled fluidic channels to be fabricated. This new printing capability enables complex hydraulically actuated robots and robotic components to be automatically built, with no assembly required. The technique is showcased by printing linear bellows actuators, gear pumps, soft grippers and a hexapod robot, using a commercially-available 3D printer. We detail the steps required to modify the printer and describe the design constraints imposed by this new fabrication approach.