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US 10,767,024 B2Granted
Soft actuator and methods of fabrication
AssigneeCornell University
InventorsRobert F. Shepherd, Benjamin C. MacMurray, Huichan Zhao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Soft actuators are fabricated from materials that enable the actuators to be constructed with an open-celled architecture such as an interconnected network of pore elements. The movement of a soft actuator is controlled by manipulating the open-celled architecture, for example inflating/deflating select portions of the open-celled architecture using a substance such as compressed fluid.
Claims23
A method for producing a soft actuator, comprising the steps of:
- combining two or more materials into a mixture, wherein a first material is an elastomer material and a second material is an additive material;
- curing the mixture to obtain a cured mixture that produces an elastomeric foam structure with an open-celled architecture in the form of an interconnected network of pore elements with each pore element defined by a wall;
- and
- sealing the structure of the soft actuator by coating it in a sealant material, wherein the actuator is configured to be operated by fluid inflation and deflation;
- and
- wherein the coated sealant material is configured to seal the elastomeric foam structure and prevent release of fluid into a surrounding environment during fluidic inflation and deflation.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.