Modelling and experimental analysis of a novel design for soft pneumatic artificial muscles

Soft pneumatic artificial muscles (SPAMs) are a type of pneumatic actuator that provide customizable motion trajectories in three dimensional space without the need for rigid links or a transmission mechanism. This paper presents a novel design for producing SPAMs, named wrapped SPAMs (WSPAMs). Unlike previous SPAM designs, the production process of WSPAM is highly repeatable, while the motion trajectory can be easily modified. A model for predicting the steady-state angular displacement of a WSPAM actuator based on its geometrical parameters and the elasticity of the materials used in its production is presented and experimentally validated.