Electro-Thermopneumatically Actuated, Adhesion-Force Controllable Octopus-Like Suction Cup Actuator
Publication: Soft Robotics
Abstract
A light-weight actuator developed in this work belongs to a class of soft robots, and in a sense, resembles an octopus. Its main function is in the attachment or detachment to a solid surface driven by an electro-thermopneumatic mechanism. In this study, a suction cup similar to that of an octopus is manufactured from an elastomer, which is actuated by an electro-thermopneumatic system, mimicking the movement of the octopus' acetabular muscle. Accordingly, the adhesion force generated by such an actuator is regulated by releasing the inner air or adjusting the cup's elasticity. This actuator is designed to be an assistive device that facilitates the individual's physical strength in case of conditions related to aging or cerebellar disease, or a person who lost limbs. In this study, the actuator capabilities are demonstrated in the form of a grip-assisting glove and prosthetic attacher. Moreover, the adhesion mechanism is quantified by numerical simulations and verified experimentally.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1. Trivedi D, Rahn CD, Kier WM, et al. Soft robotics: Biological inspiration, state of the art, and future research. Appl Bionics Biomech 2008;5(3):99–117.
2. Kim SY, Baines R, Booth J, et al. Reconfigurable soft body trajectories using unidirectionally stretchable composite laminae. Nat Commun 2019;10(1):3464.
3. Calisti M, Giorelli M, Levy G, et al. An octopus-bioinspired solution to movement and manipulation for soft robots. Bioinspir Biomim 2011;6(3):036002.
4. Laschi C, Cianchetti M, Mazzolai B, et al. Soft robot arm inspired by the octopus. Adv Robot 2012;26(7):709–727.
5. Kuba MJ, Byrne RA, Meisel DV, et al. Exploration and habituation in intact free moving Octopus vulgaris. Int J Comp Psychol 2006;19(4):426–438.
6. Tramacere F, Follador M, Pugno N, et al. Octopus-like suction cups: From natural to artificial solutions. Bioinspir Biomim 2015;10(3):035004.
7. Wang H, Zhou L. On Imitation Octopus Sucker Car Tire Tread Layout Optimization. IEEE: Harbin; 2011.
8. Tramacere F, Beccai L, Kuba M, et al. The morphology and adhesion mechanism of Octopus vulgaris suckers. PLoS One 2013;8(6):e65074.
9. Chen Y-C, Yang H. Octopus-inspired assembly of nanosucker arrays for dry/wet adhesion. ACS Nano 2017;11(6):5332–5338.
10. Xiao Z, Zhao Q, Niu Y, et al. Adhesion advances: From nanomaterials to biomimetic adhesion and applications. Soft Matter 2022;18(18):3447–3464.
11. Hu B, Wang L, Zhao Y, et al. A miniature wall climbing robot with biomechanical suction cups. Ind Robot 2009;36(6):551–561.
12. Follador M, Tramacere F, Mazzolai B. Dielectric elastomer actuators for octopus inspired suction cups. Bioinspir Biomim 2014;9(4):046002.
13. Li R, Xiao Q, Yang P-A, et al. Magnet-induced deformation enhanced adhesion based on magneto-responsive polymer: Theoretical analysis and experimental verification. Mater Des 2020;194:108905.
14. Wang S, Luo H, Linghu C, et al. Elastic energy storage enabled magnetically actuated, octopus-inspired smart adhesive. Adv Funct Mater 2021;31(9):2009217.
15. Lee HJ, Baik S, Hwang GW, et al. An electronically perceptive bioinspired soft wet-adhesion actuator with carbon nanotube-based strain sensors. Acs Nano 2021;15(9):14137–14148.
16. Hwang GW, Lee HJ, Kim DW, et al. Soft microdenticles on artificial octopus sucker enable extraordinary adaptability and wet adhesion on diverse nonflat surfaces. Adv Sci 2022;9(31):2202978.
17. Maksimkin AV, Dayyoub T, Telyshev DV, et al. Electroactive polymer-based composites for artificial muscle-like actuators: A review. Nanomaterials 2022;12(13):2272.
18. Eroğlu M, Şam Parmak ED. A simple manufacturing process of the miniaturised octopus-inspired underwater soft robotic grippers. J Adhes Sci Technol 2022;37(7):1163–1176.
19. Mai N, Bolsinger P, Avarello M, et al. Control of isometric finger force in patients with cerebellar disease. Brain 1988;111(5):973–998.
20. Judson O. What the Octopus Knows. USA; 2017. Available from: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/01/what-the-octopus-knows/508745/ [Last accessed: December 12, 2023].
21. Voight JR. Population Biology of Octopus digueti and the Morphology of American Tropical Octopods. The University of Arizona: Tucson; 1990.
22. Kier WM, Smith AM. The structure and adhesive mechanism of octopus suckers. Integr Compar Biol 2002;42(6):1146–1153.
23. Marquardt N. Introduction to the Principles of Vacuum Physics. Snekersten: Denmark; 1999.
24. De Smet L, Vercammen A. Grip strength in children. J Pediatr Orthop B 2001;10(4):352–354.
25. Tang Y, Zhang Q, Lin G, et al. Switchable adhesion actuator for amphibious climbing soft robot. Soft Robot 2018;5(5):592–600.
26. Tang Y, Yin J. Design of multifunctional soft doming actuator for soft machines. Adv Mater Technol 2018;3(7):1800069.
27. Sholl N, Moss A, Kier WM, et al. A soft end effector inspired by cephalopod suckers and augmented by a dielectric elastomer actuator. Soft Robot 2019;6(3):356–367.
28. Xie Z, Domel AG, An N, et al. Octopus arm-inspired tapered soft actuators with suckers for improved grasping. Soft Robot 2020;7(5):639–648.
29. Lee YW, Chun S, Son D, et al. A tissue adhesion-controllable and biocompatible small-scale hydrogel adhesive robot. Adv Mater 2022;34(13):2109325.
30. Imrhan SN. Trends in finger pinch strength in children, adults, and the elderly. Hum Fact 1989;31(6):689–701
31. Von Meier A. Electric Power Systems: A Conceptual Introduction. John Wiley & Sons: New Jersey, USA; 2006.
32. Kim YI, An S, Park C, et al. Nanotextured soft electrothermo-pneumatic actuator for constructing lightweight, integrated, and untethered soft robotics. Soft Robot 2022;9(5):960–969.
33. Jeong S, Tran P, Desai JP. Integration of self-sealing suction cups on the FLEXotendon glove-II robotic exoskeleton system. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2020;5(2):867–874.
34. Frey ST, Haque AT, Tutika R, et al. Octopus-inspired adhesive skins for intelligent and rapidly switchable underwater adhesion. Sci Adv 2022;8(28):eabq1905.
35. Kim YI, Kim SW, An S, et al. Untethered nanotextured thermopneumatic soft actuators operable with different stimuli: Thermal blowing, infrared light, and electromagnetic field. Int J Energy Res 2023;2023:1–12.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Soft Robotics
Copyright
Copyright 2024, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
History
Published online: 1 April 2024
Topics
Authors
Author Disclosure Statement
No competing financial interests exist.
Funding Information
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea Government (MSIT) NRF-2020R1A5A1018153 and 2022M3J1A106422611. The authors acknowledge King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for funding this work through Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2024R30).
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Export Citation
Export citation
Select the format you want to export the citations of this publication.
View Options
Get Access
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.⚠ Society Access
If you are a member of a society that has access to this content please log in via your society website and then return to this publication.