A light-weight actuator developed in this work belongs to a class of soft robots, and in a sense, resembles an octopus. Its main function is in the attachment or detachment to a solid surface driven by an electro-thermopneumatic mechanism. In this study, a suction cup similar to that of an octopus is manufactured from an elastomer, which is actuated by an electro-thermopneumatic system, mimicking the movement of the octopus' acetabular muscle. Accordingly, the adhesion force generated by such an actuator is regulated by releasing the inner air or adjusting the cup's elasticity. This actuator is designed to be an assistive device that facilitates the individual's physical strength in case of conditions related to aging or cerebellar disease, or a person who lost limbs. In this study, the actuator capabilities are demonstrated in the form of a grip-assisting glove and prosthetic attacher. Moreover, the adhesion mechanism is quantified by numerical simulations and verified experimentally.

中文翻译：

---

电动热气动驱动、粘附力可控的章鱼状吸盘致动器。


这项工作中开发的轻型致动器属于一类软机器人，从某种意义上说，它类似于章鱼。它的主要功能是由电动热气动机构驱动的固体表面的附着或分离。在这项研究中，类似于章鱼的吸盘是由弹性体制成的，该弹性体由电动热气动系统驱动，模仿章鱼髋臼肌肉的运动。因此，这种执行器产生的粘附力是通过释放内部空气或调整吸盘的弹性来调节的。该执行器旨在作为一种辅助设备，在与衰老或小脑疾病相关的情况或失去四肢的情况下促进个人的体力。在本研究中，以抓握辅助手套和假肢附件的形式展示了致动器功能。此外，通过数值模拟量化了粘附机制，并通过实验验证了粘附机制。