Development of shape memory alloy (SMA) based artificial muscle for application in soft gripper
Soft robotics is a branch of robotics that utilize soft materials instead of the common rigid links. Shape memory alloy (SMA) wire has the advantage of being compact and lightweight, as they only require simple control circuits and current input however has the drawback of low actuation force due...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en en |
| Published: |
Taylor's University
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/105458/7/105458_Development%20of%20Shape%20Memory%20Alloy%20%28SMA%29.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/105458/13/105458_Development%20of%20Shape%20Memory%20Alloy%20%28SMA%29_SCOPUS.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/105458/ https://jestec.taylors.edu.my/V18Issue3.htm |
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| Summary: | Soft robotics is a branch of robotics that utilize soft materials instead of the
common rigid links. Shape memory alloy (SMA) wire has the advantage of being
compact and lightweight, as they only require simple control circuits and current
input however has the drawback of low actuation force due to intrinsic softness.
In this research, the use of SMA wire as artificial muscle embedded in silicone
for application in a soft gripper is investigated. Simulation studies are done on
different configurations of SMA wire embedded in silicone to determine the
maximum tip displacement produced. It is found that single U-shape SMA wire
configuration has the highest tip displacement compared to others. Experimental
studies are conducted to see the mechanical response of various configurations
of SMA wires embedded in silicone fingers. It is found that the double-planar-Ushape trapezoidal finger has the highest tip force followed by the single-U-shape
and single-straight where the maximum tip force measured are 1.92 N, 1.03 N,
and 0.44 N, respectively. For bending angle, the double-planar-U-shape
trapezoidal finger produced the highest bending angle (270°) followed by the
single-U-shape (88°) and single-straight (65°). Two different assemblies of SMA
soft gripper which consists of three SMA fingers each are fabricated, complete
with its actuation system. From performance measurement, it is found that the
individual SMA finger can withstand a maximum of 200g weight before
deforming while the maximum weight the soft gripper can hold is 763 g before
slipping. The capability of the grippers to grasp objects of different shapes is
tested and it is found that the triangular gripper is better at grasping cubical and
spherical objects while the parallel gripper is better at grasping cylindrical and
long objects. The proposed SMA finger design and gripper assembly can help to
improve the performance of SMA-based soft grippers for various applications. |
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