Soft Robotic Finger
Developed a TPU-and-silicone robotic finger with adjustable stiffness, flex sensing, pressure-displacement testing, and finite element analysis.
A compliant actuator with mechanically adjustable stiffness.
Three pneumatic pistons reposition stiff blocks inside the compliant finger; physical pressure-displacement tests and measured material data provide direct checks for the finite element model.
Pressure loading and nonlinear material behavior.
The simulation applies a 20 kPa follower pressure to the actuator's internal walls and uses measured stress-strain inputs to represent the nonlinear response of the soft materials.
A variable-stiffness finger built into one compliant structure.
Three pneumatic pistons move stiff blocks in and out of the compliant finger, varying its bending stiffness.
Simulation checked against controlled physical testing.
The instrumented test setup coordinates pneumatic input, actuator displacement, motor control, and data capture; the resulting physical deformation is compared directly with the FEA prediction.