Snap-through joint and soft robot including the same

Variable Stiffness Joint for Soft Robots Using Pneumatic Snap-Through Buckling

This technology is a variable stiffness joint that drives mechanical structures by utilizing pneumatic snap-through buckling. It features a snap joint module positioned between two pneumatically pressurized members to deform the shape of a soft robot.

Conventional pneumatic network-based soft robots require complex, separate input controls for every movement and continuous pressure supply to maintain their deformed state.

This technology proposes a design that combines an elastic shell capable of pneumatic snap-through behavior with a tendon structure, enabling shape deformation and state retention with a single input control. This allows the deformed shape to be stably maintained without continuous pressure supply. It significantly reduces the burden on pressure supply systems in applications requiring lightweight and low-power operation, such as medical assistive devices, wearable devices, and grippers, thereby expanding the practical range of soft robots.

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Key Features:

• A first member having a first internal space for pneumatic supply, supporting one side of the snap joint unit
• A second member having a second internal space for pneumatic supply, supporting the other side of the snap joint unit
• A snap joint unit connecting the first and second members, capable of snap-through behavior via applied pneumatic pressure
• A control unit for regulating the pneumatic pressure applied to the internal spaces of the first and second members

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This invention was developed with support from the Metamorphic Mechanical System Research Center of the Ministry of Science and ICT.