Fluid-driven origami-inspired artificial muscles
Abstract
Artificial muscles are flexible actuators with capabilities similar to, or even beyond, natural muscles. They have been widely used in many applications as alternatives to more traditional rigid electromagnetic motors. Numerous studies focus on rapid design and low-cost fabrication of artificial muscles with customized performances. Here, we present an architecture for fluidic artificial muscles with unprecedented performance-to-cost ratio. These artificial muscles can be programed to produce not only a single contraction but also complex multiaxial actuation, and even controllable motion with multiple degrees of freedom. Moreover, a wide variety of materials and fabrication processes can be used to build the artificial muscles with other functions beyond basic actuation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 27, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1713450114
Entities
People
- Daniel M. Vogt
- Daniela L. Rus
- Robert J Wood
- Shuguang Li
Organizations
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Science Foundation