Reconfigurable Soft Robots based on Modular Design

With the development of new materials, structures and design methods, soft robot technology shows the trend of multi-functional modularization and has diverse applications in many fields. Soft robots are required to be reconfigurable with different tasks and en-vironments, which encounter problems including mass-scale fabrication, complex movement implementation, and assembly-disassembly convenience. To solve these challenges, a modular design method for reconfigurable soft robots is proposed. Three basic modules are designed to provide stretch, bending, and twisting movements, respectively, and a method is presented to decompose complex operational movements into the combinations of these three. The FEA-based simulation results demonstrated that the actuation successfully achieved the designed movement patterns. A criterion is proposed to guide the users to select the actuation modules. A novel structure for a self-align magnet connector is provided which is friendly for the assembly-disassembly process. A case study is shown for a complex pick-and-place task that requires complex end-effector movements. With the three movements based actuations and self-align connectors, the proposed modular reconfigurable soft robots hold the potential to adapt to diverse environments and tasks. © 2023 CAD Solutions, LLC,.