sps it 2018

•••9••• Innovazioni Suitable for dangerous environments 3D printed soft fourlegged robot is capable of walking on rough surfaces, such as sand and pebbles A new robot could be used to capture sensor readings in dangerous environments or for search and rescue: Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed the first soft robot that is capable of walk- ing on rough surfaces, such as sand and pebbles. The 3D-printed, four-legged robot can climb over obstacles and walk on different terrains. The breakthrough was possible thanks to a high-end printer that allowed researchers to print soft and rigid materials together with- in the same components. This made it possible for researchers to design more complex shapes for the robot’s legs. The legs are made up of three parallel, connected sealed inflat- able chambers, or actuators, 3D- printed from a rubber-like mate- rial. The chambers are hollow on the inside, so they can be inflated. On the outside, the chambers are bellowed, which allows engineers to better control the legs’ move- ments. For example, when one chamber is inflated and the oth- er two aren’t, the leg bends. The legs are laid out in the shape of an X and connected to a rigid body. Open source board The robot’s gait depends on the order of the timing, the amount of pressure and the order in which the pistons in its four legs are in- flated. The robot’s walking behav- ior in real life also closely matched the researcher’s predictions. This will allow engineers to make bet- ter educated decisions when de- signing soft robots. The current quadruped robot prototype is tethered to an open source board and an air pump. Researchers are now working on miniaturizing both the board and the pump so that the robot can walk indepen- dently. The challenge here is to find the right design for the board and the right components, such as power sources and batteries, Michael Tolley, a mechanical en- gineering professor at the Univer- sity of California San Diego, said. The soft robot is capa- ble of walking on rough surfaces, such as sand and pebbles. Photo: Jacobs School of Enginee r- ing/UC San Diego 22.– 24.5.2018 sps ipc drives HALL 6 . STAND J020 NICE TO MEET U ! Connections that create solutions. Safe. Smart. Flexible. We are the inventors of safe electrical connection technology and are one of the leading suppliers of safety and automation technology until today. We offer you more than just smart solutions for applications in mechanical and industrial engineering, in conveyor or wind power systems. We develop connections with added value – for you and your machines. HELLO SOLUTION. + CONNECTING SOLUTIONS + SAFETY SOLUTIONS + AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS