News Release

Soft robotics

Book Announcement

Bentham Science Publishers

Many soft and flexible materials which may be controlled by means of an external stimulus belong to the family of so-called “smart materials“. It is possible to distinguish between “intelligent“ materials, which imply a degree of thinking – i.e. integrated or embedded (soft) microelectronics and “smart“ materials which are astute in that they require a simple input stimulus which results in a specific (but different) output without any form of computational interface between input and output. Whether the components are smart or intelligent, flexible electrical interconnections are often needed to make complete soft robots. In addition to electrically conducting polymers, liquid metals offer the ultimate flexibility whilst maintaining electrical continuity. As an alternative to mercury, Galinstan and eutectic gallium indium compounds tend to be the materials of choice.

Naturally hybrid combinations of materials, smart or otherwise, are possible, and this aspect is also covered in a number of contributions.

Soft robotics rely heavily on distributed instrumentation and control. This is not always simple because the available means of actuation and sensing vary considerably - Thermal, electrical, magnetic, etc. No robot is viable without closed loop sensory feedback to enable precise control. This places increasing demands on the integration of sensors for tasks such as position and force measurement. Many advanced soft components can act as both – the typical mechatronic dual sensor/actuator combination. In addition, a suitable forward and inverse kinematic must be devised and implemented in order to program the manipulator. This is far from trivial given a theoretically infinite number of joint angles in continuum robots. However, using classical Denavit-Hartenberg methods an adequate approximation can be reached using a finite number of segments. At least two contributions consider such techniques in combination with specific hardware implementations. One of the most important “soft” areas in robotics concerned object prehension and retention. The ability to acquire an object with either controlled force or controlled compliance is integral to soft robotics. Controlled release of the object at the desired destination is also critical. The combination of impactive and astrictive techniques augmented with shape memory materials provides fertile ground for complete soft robotic concepts.

No single book can claim to be a comprehensive text covering all aspects of soft robotics – the discipline is too wide for such a work. Like most other volumes, this book is a cross-section of some of the more recent advances in soft robotics with reference to much of the earlier work.

 

About the Editor

Gareth John Monkman, BA., BSc., MSc., Ph.D., is working as a Professor for robotics and automation (Sensors and actuators) at the University of Applied Sciences in Regensburg, Germany, where he founded the Mechatronics Research Unit over 20 years ago. With over 20 patents and more than 200 publications in a diverse range of disciplines, he has contributed significantly to the international research community. He has been a member of the German Institute of Electrical Engineers (VDE) for over 25 years.

 

Keywords:

Soft manipulators, Biomimetic locomotion systems, Electroadhesion, Continuum robot, Compliant composites, Soft elastomers, Force feedback, Sensory perception, Kinematics, Friction & adhesion

 

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