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Researchers have developed a lightweight fluid engine to power soft robots that mimic muscles used in assistive devices. The new engine’s unique feature is its ability to generate large forces without being tethered to an external power source.
“Soft robots powered by fluid engines such as hydraulics or pneumatics can mimic muscle movement in ways that rigid robots cannot,” said Hao Xu, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “This makes these robots particularly attractive for use in assistive devices that improve the ability to move the upper or lower limbs.”
However, most fluid engines are physically connected to an external power source, such as a large air compressor, which significantly limits their practical use. Furthermore, conventional fluid engines that are not connected to an external power source cannot generate large forces, which also limits their practical use.
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“Our research addresses both of these challenges,” Su says. “Our fluid engine is not tethered to an external source, yet it can generate forces up to 580 newtons.”
The new engine works by pumping oil into and out of a chamber in the soft robot, allowing it to act as an artificial muscle by bending and relaxing. The fluid engine’s pump is driven by a battery-powered, high-torque motor, which generates significant pressure and enables the artificial muscle to exert significant force. A video of the Untethered Engine can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csVBpZIS_is.
In their proof-of-concept tests, the researchers evaluated not only how much force the new engine could generate, but also how efficiently it could convert electrical power into fluid power.
“We found that we can keep the weight of our fluid engine low while generating unprecedented forces for a non-stationary engine,” said Antonio Di Lalo, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University, “and that our fluid engine’s maximum efficiency is higher than any previous portable non-stationary engine.”
reference: Di Lallo A, Yu S, Slightam JE, Gu GX, Yin J, Su H. An unconstrained fluid engine for high-strength soft robots. Advanced Information Systems.2024:2400171. doi: 10.1002/aisy.202400171
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