Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (PAMs) are soft actuators that mimic the contractile behavior of biological muscles through fluid-driven deformation. Originating from McKibben’s 1950s braided design, PAMs have evolved into a diverse class of actua...
Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are soft and flexible linear pneumatic actuators which produce human muscle like actuation. Due to these properties, the muscle actuators have an adaptable compliance for various robotic platforms as well as medica...
In this paper, we investigate the design of pennate topology fluidic artificial muscle bundles under spatial constraints. Soft fluidic actuators are of great interest to roboticists and engineers, due to their potential for inherent compliance and sa...
To enhance the actuation performance of artificial muscles, a thermo-piezoelectric coupled model was developed based on the inverse piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric bimorphs. By altering the effective piezoelectric coefficient, elastic modulus,...
Artificial muscles translate the biological principles of motion into soft, adaptive, and multifunctional actuation. This review accordingly highlights research into natural actuation strategies, such as skeletal muscles, muscular hydrostats, spider...
The complex structure of the wrist joint supports the hand to complete a variety of dexterous and accurate operations in daily living, which in turn makes it vulnerable to motor injury due to stroke, sports, occupational, or traffic accidents. As a s...
This paper presents a novel design for a bionic knee exoskeleton equipped with a variable stiffness actuator based on rope-driven artificial muscles. To meet the varying stiffness requirements of the knee joint across different gait modes, the actuat...
Recently, pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs), a lightweight and high-compliant actuator, have been increasingly used in assistive rehabilitation robots. PAM-based applications must overcome two inherent drawbacks. The first is the nonlinearity due t...
This paper introduces a compact pneumatic artificial muscle (CPAM) that integrates a coaxial rod and an internal helical compression spring (stiffness 9750 N/m) into a McKibben-type outer muscle and compares it to a commercial DMSP-20-200N from FESTO...
Unlike traditional actuators, such as piezoelectric ceramic or metallic actuators, polymer actuators are currently attracting more interest in biomedicine due to their unique properties, such as light weight, easy processing, biodegradability, fast r...
Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) possess compliant properties desirable for certain applications such as prosthetics and robotic structures. However, this compliance along with their inherent nonlinear dynamics make them difficult to accurately mo...
Artificial muscles define a large category of actuators we propose to analyze in a systemic framework by considering any artificial muscle as an open-loop stable system for any output which represents an artificial muscle dimension resulting from its...
Shortage of labor and increased work of young people are causing problems in terms of care and welfare of a growing proportion of elderly people. This is a looming social problem because people of advanced ages are increasing. Necessary in the fields...
Muscles are capable of modulating the body and adapting to environmental changes with a highly integrated sensing and actuation. Inspired by biological muscles, coiled/twisted fibers are adopted that can convert volume expansion into axial contractio...
Twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) artificial muscles can exhibit unidirectional actuation similar to skeletal muscles. This paper presents a TCP driven artificial musculoskeletal actuation module that can be used in soft robots. This module can contra...
A better understanding of how actuator design supports locomotor function may help develop novel and more functional powered assistive devices or robotic legged systems. Legged robots comprise passive parts (e.g., segments, joints and connections) wh...
A McKibben artificial muscle is a typical soft actuator, and it features flexibility, lightweight, and low cost. It consists of a rubber tube and a sleeve which is woven with spiral fibers, and contracts axially by applying pneumatic pressure to the...
A soft actuator is an essential component in a soft robot that enables it to perform complex movements by combining different fundamental motion modes. One type of soft actuator that has received significant attention is the twisted and coiled polyme...
Soft robotics, a recent advancement in robotics systems, distinguishes itself by utilizing soft and flexible materials like silicon rubber, prioritizing safety during human interaction, and excelling in handling complex or delicate objects. Soft pneu...
A thin McKibben artificial muscle is a pneumatic actuator with an outer diameter of only 1.8 mm. We fabricated a string-shaped actuator called an “active string actuator,” which achieves a high contractile displacement by accumulating thi...
Films of conducting polymers can be oxidized and reduced in a reversible way. Any intermediate oxidation state determines an electrochemical equilibrium. Chemical or physical variables acting on the film may modify the equilibrium potential, so that...
The study of lower limbs has become relevant in recent years. Lower limbs have several classifications, but the most widespread categories are robots for patient rehabilitation and robots for work tasks. Two of the main pillars in the development of...
Wearable mechatronics for powered orthoses, exoskeletons and prostheses require improved soft actuation systems acting as ‘artificial muscles’ that are capable of large strains, high stresses, fast response and self-sensing and that show...
Similar to biological muscles, the actuator materials can function as artificial muscles by directly converting an external stimulus in the form of electrical or chemical energy into a mechanical response through the reversible changes in material di...
Continuous work on a new generation of actuators, referred to as artificial muscles, resulted in the initiation of work on electrostatic zipping actuators, the concept of which is derived from micro electro-mechanical devices. Despite partial knowled...
Recently, a significant amount of research has been devoted to soft robots. Artificial muscles belong to the most important components of soft robots. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) represent the technology that comes closest to the capabiliti...
In this overview of recent developments in the field of biorobotics we cover the developments in materials such as the use of polyester fabric being used as artificial skin and the start of whole new ways to actuate artificial muscles as a whole. In...
Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are the object of many research investigations due to their reversible and controllable shape deformations, and their high potential for use in the field of soft robots and artificial muscles. This review focuses...
The load-adaptive behavior of the muscles in the human musculoskeletal system offers great potential for minimizing resource and energy requirements in many technical systems, especially in drive technology and robotics. However, the lack of knowledg...
Performance of the shape memory alloy (SMA) coil spring actuator in cyclic actuation as an artificial muscle is strongly related to the mechanical design of the coil geometry. This paper proposes a practical design method for improving the frequency...
Twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) can generate large stroke and output high power density, making it a promising artificial muscle. Thermally induced muscles fabricated from nylon or other polymer fibers can be used in robotic, biomedical devices, and...
Fluidic artificial muscles (FAMs), also known as McKibben actuators, are a class of fiber-reinforced soft actuators that can be pneumatically or hydraulically pressurized to produce muscle-like contraction and force generation. When multiple FAMs are...
The majority of soft pneumatic actuators for rehabilitation exercises have been designed for adult users. Specifically, there is a paucity of soft rehabilitative devices designed for infants with upper and lower limb motor disabilities. We present a...
High-strength polymer fibers such as nylon 6, nylon 6,6, and polyethylene are utilized to produce Twisted and Coiled Artificial Muscles (TCAMs) through the twisting of low-cost fibers. These artificial muscles exhibit high displacement and specific p...
As an electrically driven artificial muscle, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are notable for their large deformation, fast response speed, and high energy density, showing significant potential in soft robots. The paper discusses the working pr...
Our goal is to design a neuromorphic locomotion controller for a prospective bioinspired quadruped robot driven by artificial muscle actuators. In this paper, we focus on achieving a running gait called a pace, in which the ipsilateral pairs of legs...
Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are inherently compliant and relatively safe. They are widely used in applications where human beings and robots interact closely, such as service robots or medical robots. However, PAMs are constrained by bulky pu...
Liquid Crystalline Elastomers (LCEs) are a class of shape-changing polymers with exceptional mechanical properties and potential as artificial muscles/polymer actuators. Much work has been dedicated to expanding the methods available for processing L...
Soft continuum robots, characterized by their dexterous and compliant nature, often face limitations due to buckling under small loads. This study explores the enhancement of axial performance in soft robots intrinsically actuated with extensile flui...
The self-adaptive nature of smart textiles to the ambient environment has made them an indispensable part of emerging wearable technologies. However, current advances generally suffer from complex material preparation, uncomfortable fitting feeling,...
Exploring the fundamental mechanisms of locomotion extends beyond mere simulation and modeling. It necessitates the utilization of physical test benches to validate hypotheses regarding real-world applications of locomotion. This study introduces cos...
Mechanical stimulation is prevalent within organisms, and appropriate regulation of such stimulation can significantly enhance cellular functions. Consequently, the in vitro construction and simulation of mechanical stimulation have emerged as a rese...
The creation of quick-reacting electrically conductive polymers for use as actuators driven by low electrical currents is now seen as an important issue. Enhancing the electrical conductivity of hydrogels through the incorporation of conductive fille...
To achieve high durability and excellent mechanical performances of cementitious materials, research on fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC) containing various fibers has been actively conducted. On the other hand, in robotics and other fi...
McKibben’s muscle (MKM) is the most adopted among the different types of pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) due to its mechanical performance and versatility. Several geometric parameters, including the diameter, thickness, and length of the i...
We have fabricated a string-shaped actuator called “Active string” that has high contractile displacement/force by accumulating thin pneumatic artificial muscles using the string production process. However, displacement control of the ac...
Extensile fluidic artificial muscles (EFAMs) are soft actuators known for their large ranges of extension, low weight, and blocked forces comparable to those of pneumatic cylinders. EFAMs have yet to be studied in a way that thoroughly focuses on the...
Rehabilitation is an area of robotics in which human–robot collaboration occurs, requiring adaptation and compliance. Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAM) are soft actuators that have built-in compliance making them usable for rehabilitation robo...
Soft actuators, designed for fragile item conveyance and navigation in complex environments, have garnered recent attention. This study proposes a cost-effective soft actuator, created by weaving tubes into twill patterns, capable of transportation a...
Wearable robotic devices for rehabilitation and assistive applications face a critical challenge: discomfort induced by prolonged pressure at the human–robot interface. Conventional attachment systems with static straps or rigid cuffs frequentl...
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