Multi-layered soft pneumatic actuator and robotic mechanism comprising the same

Multilayer Soft Pneumatic Actuator with Stacking Chambers and Actuating Protrusions for Object Manipulation

This technology is a multilayer soft pneumatic actuator that manipulates gripped objects by applying horizontal force. It achieves this by independently injecting air into actuating protrusions on the surface layer and two stacked chamber layers, allowing for precise control of localized deformation.

Conventional robotic grippers are limited to simple grasping, making in-hand manipulation difficult. Meanwhile, multi-degree-of-freedom systems suffer from complex structures, high costs, and the need for complex control algorithms and object modeling.

This technology proposes a method of moving surface actuating protrusions by independently controlling the pneumatic pressure in two stacked chambers, thereby delivering tangential force to an object. It offers a new possibility for achieving in-hand manipulation without complex multi-joint structures, making it suitable for logistics picking, precision assembly, and object handling in service robots.

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Key Features:

• A surface layer featuring actuating protrusions on one side that contact an object to deliver horizontal force.
• A first chamber layer stacked on the other side of the surface layer, including a first chamber configured to overlap with the actuating protrusions in certain areas.
• A second chamber layer stacked on a different layer from the first chamber layer, configured to overlap with the actuating protrusions and the first chamber.
• An air line layer configured to independently inject air into the first and second chambers.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of meta-soft organ module fabrication technology and module assembly robot systems, and from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of task design and control algorithms for intelligent autonomous disinfection robots.