A Fabrication Free, 3D Printed, Multi-Material, Self-Sensing Soft Actuator
Highlights
- An entirely print-in-place actuator with integrated sensor
- A comparison of the actuator’s performance compared to past work (Figure 3)
- A FEA comparison to traditional work (Figure 4)
- Detailed print profiles (Table II)
- Analysis of actuator and sensor’s performance and sensitivity (Figure 8 - 11)
Complex Design
The highlighted complex design would be difficult to manufacture with traditional methods, but is easy to make with additive manufacturing.
Comparing with Previous Work
The design design nicely balances blocked force with maximum deflection.
Analysis shows that the actuator loses less energy to unnecessary expansion when compared to traditional designs
Sensor Analysis
The sensor can not only detect bending, but can also sense contact.
