8 accepted papers
For over thirty years optical belt drive configurations are being used in food industries to automatically sort produce in high operating speeds. Despite their benefits, these multi-component assemblies are prone to faults, difficult to clean, and require frequent maintenance that halts the producti
The application of pneumatic soft robots is limited by factors such as operational pressure and air flow rates. Pneumatic soft robots are typically tethered in nature due to the high energy costs for actuation as well as the lack of portable pneumatic sources capable of providing high pressures and
This paper presents the design of a soft ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) exosuit to aid natural gait restoration for individuals suffering from foot drop. The sock-like AFO is comprised of soft actuators made from fabric-based, thermally-bonded nylon and designed to be worn over the users shoes. The syste…
In this paper, we present the design, fabrication, and evaluation of robust, fabric-reinforced textile actuators, which are capable of performing a variety and combination of motions, such as axial extension, radial expansion, bending, and twisting along its central axis. A simple fabrication proced…
This paper presents the design and development of a highly articulated, continuum, wearable, fabric-based Soft Poly-Limb (fSPL). This fabric soft arm acts as an additional limb that provides the wearer with mobile manipulation assistance through the use of soft actuators made with high-strength infl…
This paper investigates the design of a soft elbow exosuit capable of providing supplemental lifting assistance by reducing muscle activity of the bicep muscle. The aim is to improve the efficiency and endurance of workers who are tasked with repetitive lifting. The design consists of an array of pn…
This paper presents the design, development and preliminary evaluation of a soft-inflatable exosuit for knee rehabilitation. Soft-inflatable actuators made of heat-sealable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials are fabricated in two different beam-like structures (I and O cross-section actuator…
This paper presents advancements in the design of a portable, soft robotic glove for individuals with functional grasp pathologies. The robotic glove leverages soft material actuator technology to safely distribute forces along the length of the finger and provide active flexion and passive extensio…