Noninflatable Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Requiring Low Space and Consumption Flow Rate

Actuators known as pneumatic artificial muscles are superior for practical use because they do not require maintenance, are inexpensive, and can be assembled with a drive unit and an energy generation unit independently. However, because these actuators expand greatly in the radial direction when pressurized, one problem is that they occupy a large amount of space and consume a significant amount of flow. In this study, we propose a space-saving, constant-axis fiber-reinforced artificial muscle that does not expand and also takes advantage of the benefits of pneumatic artificial muscles. Hence, this paper reports on the driving principle of the proposed noninflatable pneumatic artificial muscle and the basic characteristics are then confirmed using a prototype.