Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) play a crucial role in generating movements and forces in soft robotic systems. However, existing SPA designs require significant structural modifications to be used in applications other than their original design. The present article proposes an omni-purpose fully 3D-printable SPA design inspired by membrane type mold and cast SPAs. The design features a spring-like zig-zag structure 3D-printed using an affordable 3D printer with thermoplastic polyurethane and a minimum wall thickness between 0.4 and 0.6 mm. The new SPA can perform unidirectional extension (30% extension) and bidirectional (rotation around same axis) bending (100°), with the ability to exert 10 N blocking force for 350 kPa pressure input. In addition, the design exhibits the capability to be scaled down for the purpose of accommodating limited spaces, while simultaneously enabling the reconfigurable interconnection of multiple SPAs to adapt to larger areas and navigate intricate trajectories that were not originally intended. The SPA's ability to be used in multiple applications without structural modification was validated through testing as a robot end-effector (gripper), artificial muscles in a soft tendon-driven prosthetic hand, a tube/tunnel navigator, and a robot crawler.

中文翻译：

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适用于软机器人多功能应用的多功能 3D 打印软气动执行器设计。


软气动执行器 (SPA) 在软机器人系统中产生运动和力方面发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，现有的 SPA 设计需要进行重大的结构修改才能用于原始设计以外的应用。本文提出了一种多功能、完全可 3D 打印的 SPA 设计，其灵感来自于膜型模具和铸造 SPA。该设计采用经济实惠的 3D 打印机以热塑性聚氨酯 3D 打印出类似弹簧的锯齿形结构，最小壁厚在 0.4 至 0.6 毫米之间。新的SPA可以进行单向延伸（30%延伸）和双向（绕同一轴旋转）弯曲（100°），能够在350 kPa压力输入下施加10 N的阻挡力。此外，该设计还展示了缩小规模的能力，以适应有限的空间，同时实现多个 SPA 的可重新配置互连，以适应更大的区域并导航原本未预期的复杂轨迹。通过作为机器人末端执行器（夹具）、软腱驱动假手中的人造肌肉、管道/隧道导航器和机器人爬行器的测试，验证了 SPA 无需结构修改即可用于多种应用的能力。