Design and characterization of soft microactuators based on interconnected pneumatic networks

© 2018 CURRAN-CONFERENCE. All rights reserved. This paper shows the advantages of introducing pneumatic networks in flexible bending microactuators, in terms of motion complexity and new functionalities. A bending microactuator made out of silicone rubber is designed with an embedded pneumatic network in the inner chamber to be compatible with a bonding-free fabrication process using micro-moulding. The pneumatic network is formed by wire electrical discharge grinding of a micro rod, having the negative shape of the inner chamber, which is placed in a micromilled mould. The deformation is simulated using FEM analysis and compared to a previous developed design. The microactuator is then characterized in terms of deformation vs. pressure input, showing a significant improvement of the bending performance. The microactuator achieves a fully curled configuration at 50 kPa, enabling the possibility of being applied as soft microgripper.