An article published this week in the journal Science Robotics describes a study conducted by Italian scientists that resulted in the development of a prototype flexible robotic hand capable of moving precisely and lifting objects up to a thousand times its own weight.
The mechanism features tiny 3D-printed actuators – devices that convert energy and signals into motion – that operate the artificial muscles.
They are called GRACE (an acronym for GeometRy-based Actuators that Contract and Elongate, which means something like “actuators based on geometry that contract and elongate”, in free translation).
Corrado De Pascali and his team of researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology used a flexible resin to allow for such movements. "Let's start from a traditional artificial muscle and develop a new class of artificial muscles made from a single monolithic bridge."
According to the article, these actuators rely on a membrane that was designed using a mathematical model created by the scientists. “GRACE actuators are different from previous generations of artificial muscles because they contain folds in their membrane that fold and unfold, giving the artificial muscles more strength and flexibility,” explains De Pascali.
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Depending on the material used to make the actuators – and how thick that material is – some could lift relatively heavy items. In the testing phase, an 8g actuator lifted 8kg.
The researchers linked 18 different-sized actuators together to make a prototype robotic hand. By applying pressure to the different membranes of the actuator, the hand was able to curl the fingers, twist the palm and rotate on the wrist.
The development of technologies like this is important, for example, to help in the position of more accurate and realistic prostheses, which can provide greater well-being and quality of life for people with amputees or disabilities.
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