Design and Fabrication of a New Dual-Arm Soft Robotic Manipulator

This paper presents the design and implementation of a dual-arm soft robotic manipulator. It consists of two soft manipulators, which are driven by pneumatic actuators. Each soft manipulator is composed of three soft modules, and each module includes three evenly distributed cavities inside. The flexible bending deformation of the soft module is produced by regulating the air pressure and changing the applying sequence to the cavities. The design and fabrication of the manipulator are presented in detail. The cooperation of the dual-arm soft robotic manipulator is implemented by adopting visual servo control. Experimental testing was carried out to demonstrate the manipulator performance. Unlike a single-arm manipulator, the robotic manipulator with dual arms features high flexibility, adaptability, and safety. The feasibility of the proposed dual-arm soft robotic manipulator is demonstrated by executing assembly tasks.

[1]  Cagdas D. Onal,et al.  Design improvements and dynamic characterization on fluidic elastomer actuators for a soft robotic snake , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Practical Robot Applications (TePRA).

[2]  Pierre-Alain Clavien,et al.  Internal retraction in single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Initial experience and learning curve , 2013, Minimally invasive therapy & allied technologies : MITAT : official journal of the Society for Minimally Invasive Therapy.

[3]  Arianna Menciassi,et al.  STIFF-FLOP surgical manipulator: Mechanical design and experimental characterization of the single module , 2013, 2013 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[4]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Modeling of Soft Fiber-Reinforced Bending Actuators , 2015, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[5]  Jun Lu,et al.  Virtual manipulator-based binocular stereo vision positioning system and errors modelling , 2010, Machine Vision and Applications.

[6]  Dan Zhang,et al.  Development and analysis of a bridge-lever-type displacement amplifier based on hybrid flexure hinges , 2018, Precision Engineering.

[7]  Cagdas D. Onal,et al.  Design and control of a soft and continuously deformable 2D robotic manipulation system , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[8]  Arianna Menciassi,et al.  Modular soft mechatronic manipulator for minimally invasive surgery (MIS): overall architecture and development of a fully integrated soft module , 2015 .

[9]  Carlo Menon,et al.  A spatial bending fluidic actuator: fabrication and quasi-static characteristics , 2012 .

[10]  Arianna Menciassi,et al.  Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery. , 2015, Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.

[11]  Michael C. Yip,et al.  Model-Less Feedback Control of Continuum Manipulators in Constrained Environments , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[12]  Vishesh Vikas,et al.  Model-free control framework for multi-limb soft robots , 2015, 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).

[13]  Shinichi Hirai,et al.  A 3D printed soft gripper integrated with curvature sensor for studying soft grasping , 2016, 2016 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration (SII).

[14]  Daniela Rus,et al.  Pouch Motors: Printable/inflatable soft actuators for robotics , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[15]  D. Rus,et al.  Design, fabrication and control of soft robots , 2015, Nature.

[16]  Huiyang Liao,et al.  Precision Alignment of Optical Fibers Based on Telecentric Stereo Microvision , 2016, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[17]  Weihai Chen,et al.  Design, analysis and testing of a novel decoupled 2-DOF flexure-based micropositioning stage , 2017 .

[18]  Paolo Dario,et al.  A reconfigurable modular robotic endoluminal surgical system: vision and preliminary results , 2009, Robotica.

[19]  Robert C. Bolles,et al.  Random sample consensus: a paradigm for model fitting with applications to image analysis and automated cartography , 1981, CACM.

[20]  Jessica Burgner-Kahrs,et al.  Implications of trajectory generation strategies for tubular continuum robots , 2015, 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).

[21]  Paolo Dario,et al.  Soft Robot Arm Inspired by the Octopus , 2012, Adv. Robotics.

[22]  Shoichi Iikura,et al.  Development of flexible microactuator and its applications to robotic mechanisms , 1991, Proceedings. 1991 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[23]  Arianna Menciassi,et al.  A soft multi-module manipulator with variable stiffness for minimally invasive surgery , 2017, Bioinspiration & biomimetics.

[24]  Kaspar Althoefer,et al.  Total mesorectal excision using a soft and flexible robotic arm: a feasibility study in cadaver models , 2016, Surgical Endoscopy.

[25]  Arianna Menciassi,et al.  Finite Element Analysis and Design Optimization of a Pneumatically Actuating Silicone Module for Robotic Surgery Applications , 2014 .