Simulating Ocean Wave Movement in a Soft Pneumatic Surface

It is well understood that nature has a calming effect on us. But in a physical space remote from nature, might the robotic embodiment of a natural phenomenon have the same effect? To address this question, we have simulated the soothing movement of ocean waves in a soft robotic surface, both as a simulation and in a physical prototype. In this paper, we report on our modeling methods of this natural phenomenon, we present the application of a selected model to both a simulation of the predicted inflation pattern of the soft robot surface and to the physical soft robot surface, and we compare the behavior of the physical robot to our simulation as a means to validate our design. We observed that the prototype’s frequency spectrum successfully shared the general trend and shape as our mathematical model. This research introduces a novel robot for a novel application: a soft robot to promote restoration and help regulate mental wellbeing in tight physical confines.