A Preliminary Study of a Soft Artificial Pump Based on ROBIN - Rotation-Based Buckling Instability Analysis

This paper introduces a novel soft artificial fluidic pump based on the conceptualization of ROBIN - Rotation-based Buckling Instability Analysis, which leverages the unique deformation of a two-layer shell-body under rotational actuation to achieve pumping capability. In more detail, the proposed device, hereafter, called ROBIN-based Pump, employs two servo motors to twist soft skin layers until buckling deformation manifests as a series of inward folds. Such complex transformation triggers a significant collapse of the fluid cavity (e.g., water, in this paper) to perform the pumping action. The proposed soft pump underwent empirical evaluation through a series of experiments with different actuation states defined by the speed ω and rotation angle θ of the motors. The main aim is to establish the relationship between actuation configuration [ω θ] and the ROBIN-based pump's characteristics described by two features: the flow rate of the fluid stream and the generated stroke volume. Preliminary results demonstrate that the soft pump could fulfill the functional requirements for either soft robotic mechanisms (e.g., soft grippers) or biomedical devices (e.g., human heart's simulators or support devices). This work is expected to showcase a sustainable approach to developing soft robotic systems, where the deformation of one component could provide energy to others.