Topics

Soft robotics

Inspired by biological structures, soft robots are systems with compliant and elastic elements purposefully introduced into their physical structures. The goal is to obtain natural motions which embody in the morphology of the robot the intelligent principles of motor control in humans and animals. Two main branches exist in soft robotic research, according to the main source of inspiration: articulated (inspired by vertebrate muscle-skeletal system), and continuum (inspired by invertebrates of boneless animal body parts). The benefits with respect to traditional robots are multiple: remote access in tiny spaces, whole-body manipulation, safe interaction with objects/environments/humans. At IDEAS, we develop innovative methodologies that cover all the phasis of product design and development of soft robots: bioinspired and human-centric approaches for design, innovative modeling and simulation procedures based on nonlinear finite element and analytical models, model-based approaches for planning and control, mechatronic development where sensors and actuators are integrated in a smart manner, advanced manufacturing techniques, digital twin models. We apply the methodologies for the development of multiple robotic platforms to be applied in different application scenarios: soft actuators, soft grippers, soft continuum robots, soft growing robots, soft exoskeletons, flexible manipulators.