Planet Arduino

Soft robotics is a challenging field, because it comes with all of the difficulties associated with conventional robotics and adds in the complexity of designing non-rigid bodies. That isn’t a trivial thing, as most CAD software doesn’t have the ability to simulate the flexibility of the material. You also have to understand how the actuators will perform. That’s why a team of researchers from Zhejiang University and Carnegie Mellon University developed MiuraKit, which is a modular construction kit for pneumatic robots.

MiuraKit isn’t any one robot, but rather a set of tools and designs that can be combined to build robots and shape-changing interfaces. Anything made with MiuraKit will have a few things in common: pneumatic actuation, flexibility, and origami-like structures. Those structures expand or deform in a variety of different ways to suit the application. For example, one type is a simple one-dimensional expander similar to a linear actuator. Another type twists for rotary actuation. By linking different types together, roboticists can achieve complex motion.

Because these structures rely on pneumatic actuation, they need valves to control airflow. MiuraKit works with electromagnetic valves under the control of an Arduino board. That receives commands from a computer over a serial connection, but it can also work on its own with pre-programmed instructions. MiruaKit includes almost everything needed to create a robot: 3D-printable pneumatic connectors, a CAD design tool, laser cutter templates, and the pump with control system. In the coming weeks, the designers plan to give MiuraKit out to design firms and schools for evaluation.

Image credit: Cui et al.

The post MiuraKit simplifies pneumatic robot design appeared first on Arduino Blog.

This year for Halloween, Quint BUILDs wanted to make something special for his daughter’s costume. Quint’s idea was to design and fabricate a pair of mechatronic dragon wings that can mount to a user’s back and move in three different modes by utilizing a set of pneumatic air cylinders. 

The prototype began as a single air cylinder connected to a relay that was, in turn, controlled by a single Arduino Micro and button. This way, Quint could finely tune the timings and pressures required for the device. After 3D printing a simple controller, machining a few aluminum plates, and welding it all together into a second prototype, it was time to experiment with programming more complex movements. 

Three pneumatic cylinders were used to create a couple axes of motion. First, the larger base cylinder moves a central piston vertically, thus extending and retracting them outwards. Each wing can flap independently through the use of two smaller pistons and linkages. Finally, pressurized air is provided by a compressed CO2 canister. These actuators are each controlled by a dedicated relay module that’s connected to an Arduino Uno.

Whenever one of the three buttons on the controller are pressed, a subroutine for the specified movement is executed. This could include fluttering the wings a couple of times, extending them outwards, and even performing a more complicated flapping motion. 

To see how this project was built in more detail, you can check out Quint’s write-up here on Instructables.

The post Scale up your dragon costume with wings that extend, flap and retract appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Every parent knows that babies need to sleep in specific conditions. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a very tragic possibility and a number of steps must be taken to prevent it, such as avoiding blankets that can restrict an infant’s breathing. But babies can also choke on milk if they aren’t lying in an ideal position. PneuMat is a special Arduino-controlled device that is capable of autonomously moving a baby back into a safe resting position.

Babies would rest on top of a PneuMat in their crib or on table. Pressure sensors line the surface of the mat and detect the baby’s position. It can differentiate between a baby lying on its side and a baby lying on its back. If the baby’s position is inappropriate, the air chambers in the mat inflate independently to change their posture. If, for instance, a baby has just been fed, PneuMat can keep the baby on their back and in an inclined position to keep them from choking on milk. It can also roll a baby over.

An Arduino Uno is important for enabling PneuMat’s functionality. It monitors the pressure sensors that line the mat and controls the pumps that inflate the air chambers when required. In addition to saving lives directly, PneuMat could provide useful data over time. Because it is always monitoring the infant’s sleeping position, it can determine how they toss and turn while they sleep. That information could help doctors better understand SIDS and learn how best to prevent the worst from happening.

The post PneuMat is an interactive shape-changing system to help ensure infants sleep safely appeared first on Arduino Blog.

3D printing allows us to make a wide variety of shapes, but adding interactive features generally means somehow strapping various electronics to them. The AirTouch project, however, presents an alternative option by enabling a fabricated object to sense up to a dozen different touch points with no components or complex calibration necessary. 

Instead compressed air is pumped into the 3D-printed item, which escapes via up to 12 tiny holes. As each hole is touched, a barometric sensor picks up the pressure response, which is then interpreted by an Arduino Uno board as user input. 

The system has been tested on a variety of interactive figures, from a model rabbit to a bar graph. A short demo can be seen below, while the project’s research paper is found here.

Arduino boards have been employed in all sorts of robotics and IoT applications, although working with air as a power source is less than straightforward. In order to make this experience easier, the Programmable-Air pneumatics kit puts everything you need for simple air power experimentation into one package.

It features pressure and vacuum pumps, as well as pneumatic valves and a pressure sensor. An Arduino Nano is implemented as the controller, and a custom library is available here, so programming should be a snap. 

Programmable-Air has a built-in high-pressure pump, vacuum pump, pneumatic valves, pressure sensor, and an Arduino Nano. The output from Programmable-Air is a single tube that goes into your soft robot or pneumatic actuator. By controlling the motors and valves, you can push air in or out of the actuator, or let it exchange air with the atmosphere. All the while you get feedback about the state of the actuator through the pressure sensor.

The kit is coming soon to Crowd Supply, so be sure to sign up there to be notified when it goes live!

Pump up your look using drone motors and pneumatic air muscles to give your wearables a hint of animation with soft robotics.

Read more on MAKE

The post Inflate Your Wearables Using Drone Motors and Pneumatic Air Muscles appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.