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US 10,704,537 B2Granted
High throughput fabrication of soft machines
AssigneePresident and Fellows of Harvard College
InventorsJason Ming Ting, Alok Suryavamsee Tayi, Bobak Mosadegh, George M. Whitesides
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Abstract
A soft robot device includes at least a first thermoplastic layer and a second thermoplastic layer, wherein at least one layer is comprised of an extensible thermoplastic material; at least one layer is an inextensible layer; and at least one layer comprises a pneumatic network, wherein the pneumatic network is configured to be in fluidic contact with a pressurizing source, wherein the first and second thermoplastic layers are thermally bonded to each other.
Claims16
A method comprising:
- providing a negative replica mold of a network of pneumatic chambers;
- heating a first thermoplastic layer to soften the first thermoplastic layer;
- pressing the first thermoplastic layer into the negative replica mold such that the first thermoplastic layer retains an imprint of the network of pneumatic chambers;
- removing the negative replica mold;
- applying a second thermoplastic layer to the side of the first thermoplastic layer containing the imprint of the network of pneumatic chambers;
- and
- bonding the first and second thermoplastic layers to form the network of pneumatic chambers,
- forming a soft robotic device comprising said network of pneumatic chambers.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.