New Online Toolkit to Assist Users in Design & Fabrication of Soft Robotic Devices

Soft robotics are ideally suited for interactions with humans, from assisting with daily activities to performing minimally invasive surgery. Harvard University's Soft Robotics Toolkit is a new online resource of downloadable, open-source plans, how-to videos, and case studies to assist users in the design, fabrication, modeling, characterization, and control of soft robotic devices. It will provide researchers with a level of detail not typically found in academic research papers, including 3D models, bills of materials, raw experimental data, multimedia step-by-step tutorials, and case studies of various soft robot designs. By creating a common resource for sharing design approaches, prototyping and fabrication techniques, and technical knowledge, the toolkit's developers hope to stimulate the creation of new kinds of soft devices, tools, and methods.

Transcript

00:00:02 the Soft Robotics toolkit is a website that contains all of the information required to design build and operate soft robots Soft Robotics is a growing field which combines classical principles of robot design with the study of soft flexible materials soft robots consist of lowcost simple components that can achieve complex motions when

00:00:28 inflated for example when we pressurize the air inside this actuator it bends components like this can be mechanically program to achieve motions for specific applications like this glove to assist with grasping tasks or this cardiac simulator which mimics the motion of the heart the Soft Robotics tool kit is a

00:00:54 collection of resources to support users in developing these types of Novel devices soft robots can be built by casting silicone rubbers in 3D printed molds the toolkit contains mold CAD files that can be downloaded and modified users who want to design their own molds can follow the guidelines and step-by-step tutorials provided on the

00:01:19 website case studies describing other people's designs can be used as inspiration once a mold has been designed it can be printed with a 3D printer the toolkit's detailed multimedia instructions explain the casting and Fabrication process the website lists all of the parts required for building soft robots

00:01:42 as well as links to suggested suppliers predicting the behavior of soft robotic devices is difficult the toolkit contains tutorials and case studies on modeling and characterizing soft components to help users optimize their own designs much of the hardware used to operate soft robots is transferable between one device and another so the toolkit

00:02:09 includes details of an open-source control board based on readily available parts that can be used for a wide variety of applications the website also contains example source code to get users started with operating and controlling their soft robots the board can be built as described on the website or can be

00:02:31 modified to suit the needs of particular projects Soft Robotics is a growing field and the Soft Robotics toolkit provides a way for students designers and researchers of all levels to learn how to design model build and test their own Soft Robotics components and to use these components to create novel devices for exciting applications