1. Printable Pouch Motors
Xu Sun
Biomimetic Robotics Lab
MIT Mechanical Engineering
May 2014

2. Agenda Printable Actuators with Computer Aided Design Current work
Tape and sticker demo: it can be used in everyday objects
Pouch performance and control
Haptic wearable: master to slave robotic hand
Miniature pouches and scalability
Others: thermally actuated pouches, printable valves

3. Printable Actuators with Computer Aided Design
Preparing for International Journal of Robotics Research: Ryuma Niiyama, Xu Sun, Cynthia Sung, Byoungkwon An, Daniela Rus, and Sangbae Kim

4. Fabrication Process
Heat Drawing
Heat Stamping

5. Integrating PPR Fabrication Processes
Pouch motor with self-folding structure, and computer aided design?
Pneumatic structures that can move with no electronics at all …
Pouch motor with Penn’s pick and place 3D printer?
Pouch motors are made with thermoplastic materials. They should be able to thermally bind to 3D printed structures.

6. Pouch Actuators and Potentials
video

7. Performance: Linear Tension Test
Force (N)
Position (m)
Test set up

8. Performance: Angular Torsion Test
Test set up
Ryuma Niiayama, Daniela Rus, Sangbae Kim, Pouch Motors: Printable/ Inflatable Soft Actuators for Robotics, ICRA 2014,

9. Control: the idea
Tension - Knowing the relationship between tension force and pressure at a given position (distance between the two joints), by controlling pressure, we can control tension force.
Torque – Similarly, knowing the relationship between torque and pressure at a given angular position (starting angle of the two joints), by controlling pressure, we can control torque.

10. Control: the method Velostat and strain gauge for pressure sensing
Velostat is a back, opaque, volume-conductive, carbon-impregnated polyolefin

11. Ryuma Niiyama, Xu Sun, Michael Smith, Rob Wood and Sangbae Kim
Miniature Pouches
Ryuma Niiyama, Xu Sun, Michael Smith, Rob Wood and Sangbae Kim

12. Thermally Actuated Pouches
video