Wireless manipulation using magnetic polymer composites

The risk of damage when handling delicate objects can be reduced by using soft actuators. This paper presents a novel wireless magnetic polymer composite-driven system for soft robotic manipulation. Magnetic polymer composites, or MPCs, are wireless soft material actuators capable of large deformation and fast response. In this work, an antagonistic pair of MPCs were utilized to control the position and stiffness of a wireless end-effector. Experimental testing revealed that the proposed system could achieve low error position tracking (root mean square error <= 0.438 mm) and variable stiffness across the workspace. This research confirms the feasibility of using MPC for robotic manipulation in applications where displacement and stiffness are essential performance requirements.