Development of a 'Calf Muscle Pump' Inspired Reconfigurable Soft Pump Module Using Permanent Magnetic Elastomer

Peizhi Zhang, Qichen Wang, Mitsuhiro Kamezaki, Zhuoyi He, Yuhiro Iwamoto, Yasushi Ido, Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Shigeki Sugano

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Soft robots with intrinsic softness are expected to be used for delicate object manipulation and/or human-collaborative applications. However, fluidic-driven soft actuators need a pump system with a pump, compressor, tube, and valves, which makes the system bulky and rigid. Some researchers developed built-in centralized fluidic pumps for soft robots, but the output performance is limited since their specifications and carried energy are fixed. To enable the pump system to be soft and increase the output performance, we propose a decentralized reconfigurable soft pump module using permanent magnetic elastomers (PME). With this soft smart material, the system can be fully soft. Inspired by the 'calf muscle pump,' our soft pump module can be freely reconfigured to squeeze the working fluid and increase the flowrate as an additional power source. We designed the structure of the module, built the modelling, and conducted various experiments to verify its feasibility. We confirmed that the module can generate force up to 12.76 N and flowrate about 3.74 ml/s, which shows its capability to convey working fluid. After being attached to the soft tube, with sequence control, the reconfigured pump can generate peristaltic motion and convey the working fluid. The success of the pump module indicates its possibility used for increasing the output performance of the soft robots.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2022 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, AIM 2022
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages1115-1120
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781665413084
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
Event2022 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, AIM 2022 - Sapporo, Japan
Duration: 2022 Jul 112022 Jul 15

Publication series

NameIEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, AIM
Volume2022-July

Conference

Conference2022 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, AIM 2022
Country/TerritoryJapan
CitySapporo
Period22/7/1122/7/15

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Software

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