IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2020 - 74

Conclusions
A pattern of pouch motors combining two layers with geometric constraints was proposed as a versatile and repeatable
pattern for producing large bending deformations with a
controllable force. The pattern of deformation of the actuator
can be easily modified to produce actuators that behave like
bending ones or rotary joints. These can then be used to fabricate either robotic fingers or joints with only small adjustments in dimensions, using the proposed pattern of pouch
motors. A robotic arm with 3 DoF and a large soft robotic
gripper was built using this actuation concept to demonstrate
its versatility and potential applicability for low-cost and
large-scale soft robots.
This kind of simple soft robotic actuation concept could be
further adjusted to a wider range of robotic concepts and its
construction further improved to allow for higher pressures
and forces. A pouch-based actuator like this could find use in a
wide range of robots, including patient care and service robots,
due to their good actuation capabilities, low weight, versatility,
and low cost. Future work will focus on improvements in
design, manufacturing, and materials, to increase the capability of the robotic arm; finding ways to improve airflow between
pouch motors; and the integration of complete position feedback for control of the entire robotic arm.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korea government (Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning) 2018R1C1B6003990
and 2020R1A4A1018227).
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Haneol Lee, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea. E-mail: bigspirit@skku
.edu.
Namsoo Oh, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea. E-mail: dhnamsoo@
skku.edu.
Hugo Rodrigue, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea. E-mail: rodrigue
@skku.edu.
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2020

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