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Multi-mode Soft Composite Bending Actuators Based on Glass fiber Textiles Interwoven with Shape Memory Alloy Wires: Development and use in the Preparation of Soft Grippers

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Abstract

We develop multi-mode soft composite bending actuators based on glass fiber textiles interwoven with shape memory alloy (SMA) wires and a soft matrix of polydimethylsiloxane. We describe their detailed design and fabrication. We varied the interweaving patterns of SMA wires, such that the actuators exhibit multi-mode bending behaviors. Actuators with three different bending modes were fabricated, and their performances were evaluated in terms of curvature. We varied the stiffness of glass fiber textiles and the diameters of SMA wires. Bidirectional multi-mode actuations were achieved when SMA wires of different interwoven patterns were combined with glass fiber textiles. We present prototypes of such actuators and demonstrate their actuations. Finally, we prepared gripper prototypes using these actuators; they grasped different objects according to bending mode. Our technique will aid the development of soft robotics, as well as other scientific and engineering applications.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the grant funded by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Korea) and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) (Grant No. 20006388, and No. 20017462); and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. NRF-2020R1A2C4001731).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gyeongbuk, Gumi, 39177, Republic of Korea

    Oybek Valijonovich Tuyboyov & Gil-Yong Lee

  2. Department of Aeronautics, Mechanical and Electronic Convergence Engineering , Kumoh National Institute of Technology , Gyeongbuk, Gumi, 39177, Republic of Korea

    Geo-Sung Lee & Gil-Yong Lee

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  1. Oybek Valijonovich Tuyboyov
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G-YL conceptualized this work. G-YL and OT designed the materials and specimens. G-YL and G-SL designed the experiments and set the experimental setups. OT and G-YL fabricated the specimens. G-YL, OT, G-SL conducted the experiments. G-YL and OT analyzed the data and wrote the paper, and all authors provided feedback. G-YL supervised the project.

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Correspondence to Gil-Yong Lee.

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Tuyboyov, O.V., Lee, GS. & Lee, GY. Multi-mode Soft Composite Bending Actuators Based on Glass fiber Textiles Interwoven with Shape Memory Alloy Wires: Development and use in the Preparation of Soft Grippers. Int. J. of Precis. Eng. and Manuf.-Green Tech. 10, 1263–1280 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-022-00491-3

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