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Biomimetics
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Biomimetic Soft Robotics
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Biomimetic Soft Robotics

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetic Design, Constructions and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 22856

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Xiaofeng Zong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Automation, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: soft bionic robotics; soft sensors; grippers and other end-effectors; soft actautor; modeling and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft actuators and robots made of intrinsically soft and/or extensible materials have attracted great attention due to their ability to adapt to complex environments and build safe, coexisting interaction with humans. They have found various applications in robotic manipulators, crawling and swimming robots, minimally invasive surgery devices, and other biomedical systems. The aim of this Special Issue is to collect contributions from different laboratories working on biomimetic soft robotic systems. By covering issues in basic mechanics, bionic engineering, control science, materials science, finite element simulation, and physical fabrication and experimentation, this Special Issue will provide an up-to-date overview of the status quo and perspectives in a rapidly growing field of basic and applied research. The present collection of papers, taking advantage of the journal’s open access format, is expected to provide a paradigm of the power of biomimetic approaches for discovering new important research avenues and for innovative solutions in biomimetic soft robotic systems.

We believe that this initiative will fill an important gap in biomimetic soft robotic systems and will stimulate the remarkable contributions of leading experts in the field.

Prof. Dr. Xiaofeng Zong
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bionic engineering
  • mechanics and materials science
  • various applications in robotic field
  • simulation and experimentation
  • interaction with humans

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 6591 KiB  
Article
Multi-Joint Bionic Mechanism Based on Non-Circular Gear Drive
by Dawei Liu, Tao Zhang and Yuetong Cao
Biomimetics 2023, 8(3), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8030272 - 27 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1516
Abstract
Aiming at the nonlinear expansion/contraction drive problem between different cables in multi-joint cable drive mechanisms, a mechanical drive method based on a non-circular gear drive was proposed, which could replace the servo-sensing control system and minimize the system’s complexity and cost. A multi-joint [...] Read more.
Aiming at the nonlinear expansion/contraction drive problem between different cables in multi-joint cable drive mechanisms, a mechanical drive method based on a non-circular gear drive was proposed, which could replace the servo-sensing control system and minimize the system’s complexity and cost. A multi-joint single-degree-of-freedom (DOF) bending mechanism was constructed with several T-shaped components and cross-shaped components. The principle of the multi-joint mechanism driven by non-circular gears was clarified. The corresponding relationships between the joint bending angle, cables’ extension/retraction amount and non-circular gear transmission ratio were established. Using the Bowden cable driving, a multi-DOF bending mechanism decoupling scheme was proposed. Considering the adverse effect of non-circular gear hysteresis on the motion of multi-joint mechanisms, a non-circular gear backlash elimination method was proposed. The expression of the backlash of the non-circular gear with respect to the axial movement amount was deduced, which could enable the precise control of the backlash. A two-DOF multi-joint bionic mechanism driven by the non-circular gear was developed. The experimental results show that the mechanism can achieve coordinated bending motion by precisely controlling the line extension/contraction through non-circular gears. This multi-joint bionic mechanism driven by non-circular gears has the characteristics of reliable structure and simple control, and it is expected to be applied to bionic fish and bionic quadruped robots in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Soft Robotics)
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15 pages, 9175 KiB  
Article
Soft Robotic Glove with Sensing and Force Feedback for Rehabilitation in Virtual Reality
by Fengguan Li, Jiahong Chen, Guanpeng Ye, Siwei Dong, Zishu Gao and Yitong Zhou
Biomimetics 2023, 8(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010083 - 15 Feb 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5884
Abstract
Many diseases, such as stroke, arthritis, and spinal cord injury, can cause severe hand impairment. Treatment options for these patients are limited by expensive hand rehabilitation devices and dull treatment procedures. In this study, we present an inexpensive soft robotic glove for hand [...] Read more.
Many diseases, such as stroke, arthritis, and spinal cord injury, can cause severe hand impairment. Treatment options for these patients are limited by expensive hand rehabilitation devices and dull treatment procedures. In this study, we present an inexpensive soft robotic glove for hand rehabilitation in virtual reality (VR). Fifteen inertial measurement units are placed on the glove for finger motion tracking, and a motor—tendon actuation system is mounted onto the arm and exerts forces on fingertips via finger-anchoring points, providing force feedback to fingers so that the users can feel the force of a virtual object. A static threshold correction and complementary filter are used to calculate the finger attitude angles, hence computing the postures of five fingers simultaneously. Both static and dynamic tests are performed to validate the accuracy of the finger-motion-tracking algorithm. A field-oriented-control-based angular closed-loop torque control algorithm is adopted to control the force applied to the fingers. It is found that each motor can provide a maximum force of 3.14 N within the tested current limit. Finally, we present an application of the haptic glove in a Unity-based VR interface to provide the operator with haptic feedback while squeezing a soft virtual ball. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Soft Robotics)
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14 pages, 8564 KiB  
Article
A Proposal of Bioinspired Soft Active Hand Prosthesis
by Alejandro Toro-Ossaba, Juan C. Tejada, Santiago Rúa and Alexandro López-González
Biomimetics 2023, 8(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010029 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3915
Abstract
Soft robotics have broken the rigid wall of interaction between humans and robots due to their own definition and manufacturing principles, allowing robotic systems to adapt to humans and enhance or restore their capabilities. In this research we propose a dexterous bioinspired soft [...] Read more.
Soft robotics have broken the rigid wall of interaction between humans and robots due to their own definition and manufacturing principles, allowing robotic systems to adapt to humans and enhance or restore their capabilities. In this research we propose a dexterous bioinspired soft active hand prosthesis based in the skeletal architecture of the human hand. The design includes the imitation of the musculoskeletal components and morphology of the human hand, allowing the prosthesis to emulate the biomechanical properties of the hand, which results in better grips and a natural design. CAD models for each of the bones were developed and 3D printing was used to manufacture the skeletal structure of the prosthesis, also soft materials were used for the musculoskeletal components. A myoelectric control system was developed using a recurrent neural network (RNN) to classify the hand gestures using electromyography signals; the RNN model achieved an accuracy of 87% during real time testing. Objects with different size, texture and shape were tested to validate the grasping performance of the prosthesis, showing good adaptability, soft grasping and mechanical compliance to object of the daily life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Soft Robotics)
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Graphical abstract

24 pages, 15577 KiB  
Article
A Worm-like Crawling Soft Robot with Pneumatic Actuators Based on Selective Laser Sintering of TPU Powder
by Tianhao Du, Lechen Sun and Jingjing Wan
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040205 - 20 Nov 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4127
Abstract
Soft robotics is one of the most popular areas in the field of robotics due to advancements in bionic technology, novel materials, and additive manufacturing. Existing soft crawling robots with specific structures have a single locomotion mode and cannot complete turning. Moreover, some [...] Read more.
Soft robotics is one of the most popular areas in the field of robotics due to advancements in bionic technology, novel materials, and additive manufacturing. Existing soft crawling robots with specific structures have a single locomotion mode and cannot complete turning. Moreover, some silicone-based robots lack stiffness, leading to unstable movements especially when climbing walls, and have limited environmental adaptability. Therefore, in this study, a novel crawling soft robot with a multi-movement mode and high environmental adaptability is proposed. As the main structure of the robot, pneumatic single-channeled and double-channeled actuators are designed, inspired by the worm’s somite expansion and contraction. Model-based methods are employed to evaluate and analyze the characteristics of the actuators. By the application of selective laser sintering technology and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, the fabricated actuators with an auxetic cavity structure are able to maintain a certain stiffness. Via the coordination between the actuators and the suckers, two locomotion modes—straight-line and turning—are realized. In the testing, the speed of straight-line crawling was 7.15 mm/s, and the single maximum turning angle was 28.8 degrees. The testing verified that the robot could realize crawling on flat ground, slopes, and smooth vertical walls with a certain stability and equipment-carrying capacity. This research could lay the foundation for subsequent applications, including large tank interior inspections, civil aviation fuselage and wing inspections, and wall-cleaning in high-rise buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Soft Robotics)
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14 pages, 6070 KiB  
Article
Double-Acting Soft Actuator for Soft Robotic Hand: A Bellow Pumping and Contraction Approach
by Hao Liu, Changchun Wu, Senyuan Lin, Yunquan Li and Yonghua Chen
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040171 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3601
Abstract
When compressing a soft bellow, the bellow will contract and pump out the fluid inside the bellow. Utilizing this property, we propose a novel actuation method called compressing bellow actuation (CBA), which can output fluidic power and tendon-driven force simultaneously. Based on the [...] Read more.
When compressing a soft bellow, the bellow will contract and pump out the fluid inside the bellow. Utilizing this property, we propose a novel actuation method called compressing bellow actuation (CBA), which can output fluidic power and tendon-driven force simultaneously. Based on the CBA method, a double-acting soft actuator (DASA) combining fluidic elastomer actuator (FEA) and tendon-driven metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint is proposed for robotic finger design. The proposed DASA exhibits both compliance and adaptiveness of FEAs, and controllability and large output force of the tendon-driven methods. The fluid in the bellow can be either air or water or even integration of the two, thus constituting three different actuation modes. Mathematical modeling of the relationship between bellow compression displacement and DASA’s bending angle is developed. Furthermore, experimental characterizations of DASA’s bending angle and blocking force are conducted at different actuation modes. The double-acting method can availably promote the bending angle of an FEA by up to 155%, and the blocking force by up to 132% when the FEA is water-filled. A soft robotic hand with a forearm prototype based on the DASA fingers is fabricated for the demonstration of finger motion and gripping applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Soft Robotics)
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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 3686 KiB  
Article
A Preliminary Study to Design and Evaluate Pneumatically Controlled Soft Robotic Actuators for a Repetitive Hand Rehabilitation Task
by Claire Rieger and Jaydip Desai
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040139 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2355
Abstract
A stroke is an infarction in the cortical region of the brain that often leads to isolated hand paresis. This common side effect renders individuals compromised in their ability to actively flex or extend the fingers of the affected hand. While there are [...] Read more.
A stroke is an infarction in the cortical region of the brain that often leads to isolated hand paresis. This common side effect renders individuals compromised in their ability to actively flex or extend the fingers of the affected hand. While there are currently published soft robotic glove designs, this article proposed a unique design that allows users to self-actuate their therapy due to the ability to re-extend the hand using a layer of resistive flexible steel. The results showed a consistently achieved average peak of 75° or greater for each finger while the subjects’ hands were at rest during multiple trials of pneumatic assisted flexion. During passive assisted testing, human subject testing on 10 participants showed that these participants were able to accomplish 80.75% of their normal active finger flexion range with the steel-layer-lined pneumatic glove and 87.07% with the unlined pneumatic glove on average when neglecting outliers. An addition of the steel layer lowered the blocked tip force by an average of 18.13% for all five fingers. These data show strong evidence that this glove would be appropriate to advance to human subject testing on those who do have post stroke hand impairments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Soft Robotics)
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