Prismatic Soft Actuator Augments the Workspace of Soft Continuum Robots

Soft robots are promising for manipulation tasks thanks to their compliance, safety, and high degree of freedom. However, the commonly used bidirectional continuum segment design means soft robotic manipulators only function in a limited hemispherical workspace. This work increases a soft robotic arm's workspace by designing, fabricating, and controlling an additional soft prismatic actuator at the base of the soft arm. This actuator consists of pneumatic artificial muscles and a piston, making the actuator back-driveable. We increase the task space volume by 116%, and we are now able to perform manipulation tasks that were previously impossible for soft robots, such as picking and placing objects at different positions on a surface and grabbing an object out of a container. By combining a soft robotic arm with a prismatic joint, we greatly increase the usability of soft robots for object manipulation. This work promotes the use of integrated and modular soft robotic systems for practical manipulation applications in human-centered environments.