Modelling the Nonlinear Response of Fibre-reinforced Bending Fluidic Actuators
This work addresses a modeling problem for engineers designing and controlling soft actuators, but it appears incremental as it builds on existing BFA research by adding specific nonlinearities.
The researchers tackled the challenge of accurately modeling the nonlinear response of fiber-reinforced Bending Fluidic Actuators (BFAs) by proposing a fully 3D analytical mechanical model that captures quasi-static behavior, including pressure effects on the lateral surface and non-constant torque at the tip.
Soft actuators are receiving increasing attention from the engineering community, not only in research but even for industrial applications. Among soft actuators, fibre-reinforced Bending Fluidic Actuators (BFAs) became very popular thanks to features such as robustness and easy design and fabrication. However, an accurate modelling of these smart structures, taking into account all the nonlinearities involved, is a challenging task. In this effort, we propose an analytical mechanical model to capture the quasi-static response of fibre-reinforced BFAs. The model is fully 3D and for the first time includes the effect of the pressure on the lateral surface of the chamber as well as the non-constant torque produced by the pressure at the tip. The presented model can be used for design and control, while providing information about the mechanics of these complex actuators.