基于拮抗机制的可变刚度流体驱动柔性致动器研究

柔性致动器具有柔顺性高、环境适应性强及人机交互性好等特点。针对传统柔性制动器刚度控制性能差的问题,基于柔性伸长肌和收缩肌的拮抗机制,提出一种新型可变刚度的流体驱动柔性致动器,该致动器能够实现伸长/缩短的复合动作,并通过协同调整伸长和收缩力实现刚度的控制;基于伸长及收缩织物的柔性形变机理,建立了柔性致动器的力学特性模型,并进行了仿真分析;开展了柔性致动器的力学特性试验,测试了致动器在不同充压及形变位移下的力学特性,并验证了柔性致动器的刚度调节特性。

A Novel Stiffness-variable Fluid-driven Soft Actuator Based on the Mechanism of Antagonism

Soft actuators possessed highly flexible, complex environment adaptability and safe human-interaction. Firstly, in order to solve the limitation of stiffness control poorly of traditional soft actuators, based on the antagonistic mechanism of extensor and contractor muscles, a novel variable-stiffness fluid-driven soft actuator is proposed in this paper. The actuator can realize the composite action of elongation/contraction, and realize stiffness control by cooperatively adjusting the elongation and contraction forces. Secondly, based on the flexible deformation mechanism of the stretched and contracted fabrics, the mechanical model of the soft actuator is established and simulated. Finally, the mechanical properties of the actuator were tested under different pressures and deformation displacements, and the variable-stiffness characteristics of the actuator were verified. This research has significance to the research of soft actuator with variable stiffness.