7 accepted papers
Robotic grasping in cluttered and real-world human environments is a challenging task. It requires unique kinematic capabilities to deal with spatial constraints as well as compliance and softness to offer collision safety and safe manipulation of sensitive objects. To address this challenge, we pro…
Contact tooling operations like sanding and polishing have been high in demand for robotics and automation, as manual operations are labour-intensive with inconsistent quality. However, automating these operations remains a challenge since they are highly dependent on prior knowledge about the geome…
This paper presents a novel approach for developing robotic grippers with variable stiffness hinges for dexterous grasps. This approach for the first time uses pneumatically actuated pouch actuators to fold and unfold morphable flaps of flexure hinges thus change stiffness of the hinge. By varying t…
Plant-inspired inflatable eversion robots with their tip growing behaviour have recently emerged. Because they extend from the tip, eversion robots are particularly suitable for applications that require reaching into remote places through narrow openings. Besides, they can vary their structural sti
In the last decade, soft robots have been at the forefront of a robotic revolution. Due to the flexibility of the soft materials employed, soft robots are equipped with a capability to execute new tasks in new application areas -beyond what can be achieved using classical rigid-link robots. Despite…
Thin and imperceptible soft skins that can detect internal deformations as well as external forces, can go a long way to address perception and control challenges in soft robots. However, decoupling proprioceptive and exteroceptive stimuli is a challenging task. In this paper, we present a silicone-…
Although dielectric elastomers have been extensively studied recently, to date there has been little research into application of dielectric elastomer actuators to undersea robots. This letter focuses on development of a jellyfish robot using a dielectric elastomer actuator, which exhibits muscle-li