Diversity-Based Topology Optimization of Soft Robotic Grippers

Soft grippers are ideal for grasping delicate, deformable objects with complex geometries. Universal soft grippers have proven effective for grasping common objects, however complex objects or environments require bespoke gripper designs. Multi-material printing presents a vast design-space which, when coupled with an expressive computational...

Topology Optimization of Fluidic Pressure-Driven Multi-Material Compliant Mechanisms

Compliant mechanisms actuated by pneumatic loads are receiving increasing attention due to their direct applicability as soft robots that perform tasks using their flexible bodies. Using multiple materials to build them can further improve their performance and efficiency. Due to developments in additive manufacturing, the fabrication of...

Automated design of pneumatic soft grippers through design-dependent multi-material topology optimization

Soft robotic grasping has rapidly spread through the academic robotics community in recent years and pushed into industrial applications. At the same time, multimaterial 3D printing has become widely available, enabling the monolithic manufacture of devices containing rigid and elastic sections. We propose a novel design technique that...