Applying a flexible microactuator to robotic mechanisms

A flexible microactuator (FMA) driven by an electropneumatic (or electrohydraulic) system has been developed. It has three degrees of freedom-pitch, yaw, and stretch-making it suitable for robotic mechanisms such as fingers, arms, or legs. It is made of fiber-reinforced rubber, and the mechanism is very simple, enabling miniature robots without conventional link mechanisms to be designed. Serially connected FMAs act as a miniature robot manipulator. The kinematics and control algorithm for this type of robot are presented. FMAs combined in parallel act as a multifingered robot hand, with each FMA representing a finger. An algorithm for the cooperative control for such FMAs, the stable region for holding, and its performance have been developed.<
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