Programmable Pressure Pneumatic System for Soft Robots

Xinyu Xiao, Kanghe Huang, Renjie Zhu, Yahui Xue, Wenjin Wang, Hongqiang Wang, Jian S. Dai

Abstract: In the realm of soft robotics, the pneumatic system is a crucial component that plays an essential role in achieving optimal motion performance since all motion performance is ultimately linked to precise pressure control within the air chambers. To efficiently provide programmable pressure states for driving soft robots, this paper proposes a programmable pressure pneumatic system consisting of air pumps and valves with eight independent air channels. This system can provide precise hybrid negative and positive pressure for soft pneumatic robots. Closed-loop pressure control is achieved by sensing the pressure states in each air channel through sensors. Furthermore, two types of soft robots based on single-chamber soft pneumatic actuators are designed to verify the effectiveness and practicality of the pneumatic system. The proposed pneumatic system is a universal platform that can meet the pressure control requirements of various soft robots driven by both positive and negative pressure and holds significant implications for actuation and control in soft robotics.