Robots with inflatable links

The use of robots in assistive roles will be an increasingly significant application for robotics. Assistive robots need to physically interact with humans in a safe manner. We propose the use of inflatable robot links as structural members instead of traditional rigid links. We believe such links would allow the development of inherently safe robots. For these robots to be useful in tasks such as assisting humans, it is essential that we be able to control contact forces with these robots. In this paper, we propose a model for force control with a single inflatable link, investigate the dynamics of the model, and present experimental results.