A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak

Shen, Jiajia; Garrad, Martin; Zhang, Qicheng; Hei, Vico Chun; Pirrera, Alberto; J., Rainer M.

doi:10.1098/rsif.2024.0148

Journal article 101 views 36 downloads

A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak

Jiajia Shen

, Martin Garrad, Qicheng Zhang, Vico Chun Hei Wong, Alberto Pirrera

, Rainer M. J. Groh

Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Volume: 21, Issue: 218

Swansea University Author: Qicheng Zhang

PDF | Version of Record

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY).
Download (1.41MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1098/rsif.2024.0148

Abstract

Biology is a wellspring of inspiration in engineering design. This paper delves into the application of elastic instabilities—commonly used in biological systems to facilitate swift movement—as a power-amplification mechanism for soft robots. Specifically, inspired by the nonlinear mechanics of the...

Full description

Published in:	Journal of the Royal Society Interface
ISSN:	1742-5689 1742-5662
Published:	The Royal Society 2024
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67554
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

first_indexed	2024-09-04T11:25:43Z
last_indexed	2024-09-04T11:25:43Z
id	cronfa67554
recordtype	SURis
fullrecord	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rfc1807 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>67554</id><entry>2024-09-04</entry><title>A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>8ff09bdb2a479fcc8d203f099b148f69</sid><firstname>Qicheng</firstname><surname>Zhang</surname><name>Qicheng Zhang</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2024-09-04</date><abstract>Biology is a wellspring of inspiration in engineering design. This paper delves into the application of elastic instabilities—commonly used in biological systems to facilitate swift movement—as a power-amplification mechanism for soft robots. Specifically, inspired by the nonlinear mechanics of the hummingbird beak—and shedding further light on it—we design, build and test a novel, rapid-response, soft end effector. The hummingbird beak embodies the capacity for swift movement, achieving closure in less than 10 ms . Previous work demonstrated that rapid movement is achieved through snap-through deformations, induced by muscular actuation of the beak’s root. Using nonlinear finite element simulations coupled with continuation algorithms, we unveil a representative portion of the equilibrium manifold of the beak-inspired structure. The exploration involves the application of a sequence of rotations as exerted by the hummingbird muscles. Specific emphasis is placed on pinpointing and tailoring the position along the manifold of the saddle-node bifurcation at which the onset of elastic instability triggers dynamic snap-through. We show the critical importance of the intermediate rotation input in the sequence, as it results in the accumulation of elastic energy that is then explosively released as kinetic energy upon snap-through. Informed by our numerical studies, we conduct experimental testing on a prototype end effector fabricated using a compliant material (thermoplastic polyurethane). The experimental results support the trends observed in the numerical simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the bio-inspired design. Specifically, we measure the energy transferred by the soft end effector to a pendulum, varying the input levels in the sequence of prescribed rotations. Additionally, we demonstrate a potential robotic application in scenarios demanding explosive action. From a mechanics perspective, our work sheds light on how pre-stress fields can enable swift movement in soft robotic systems with the potential to facilitate high input-to-output energy efficiency.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Journal of the Royal Society Interface</journal><volume>21</volume><journalNumber>218</journalNumber><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher>The Royal Society</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>1742-5689</issnPrint><issnElectronic>1742-5662</issnElectronic><keywords>Functional morphology, snap-through instability, elastic tailoring, programmability, energy amplification, well-behaved nonlinear structures</keywords><publishedDay>4</publishedDay><publishedMonth>9</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2024</publishedYear><publishedDate>2024-09-04</publishedDate><doi>10.1098/rsif.2024.0148</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Another institution paid the OA fee</apcterm><funders>V.C.H.W. was funded by the Faculty Postdoc Research Prize awarded to J.S. at the University of Bristol. J.S. was funded by the Leverhulme Trust through a Philip Leverhulme Prize awarded to R.M.J.G. J.S. was also funded by a Research Fellowship from Exeter Technologies Group at University of Exeter. R.M.J.G. was also funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering under the Research Fellowship scheme [RFz201718z17178].</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2024-09-04T12:27:10.2858820</lastEdited><Created>2024-09-04T11:45:47.2755086</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace Engineering</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Jiajia</firstname><surname>Shen</surname><orcid>0000-0003-2763-1147</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Martin</firstname><surname>Garrad</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Qicheng</firstname><surname>Zhang</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Vico Chun Hei</firstname><surname>Wong</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Alberto</firstname><surname>Pirrera</surname><orcid>0000-0003-3867-3916</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Rainer M. J.</firstname><surname>Groh</surname><orcid>0000-0001-5031-7493</orcid><order>6</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>67554__31256__351c923fe30f4054a65463e144a2856e.pdf</filename><originalFilename>rsif.2024.0148.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2024-09-04T11:45:47.0553272</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>1475399</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>© 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY).</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling	v2 67554 2024-09-04 A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak 8ff09bdb2a479fcc8d203f099b148f69 Qicheng Zhang Qicheng Zhang true false 2024-09-04 Biology is a wellspring of inspiration in engineering design. This paper delves into the application of elastic instabilities—commonly used in biological systems to facilitate swift movement—as a power-amplification mechanism for soft robots. Specifically, inspired by the nonlinear mechanics of the hummingbird beak—and shedding further light on it—we design, build and test a novel, rapid-response, soft end effector. The hummingbird beak embodies the capacity for swift movement, achieving closure in less than 10 ms . Previous work demonstrated that rapid movement is achieved through snap-through deformations, induced by muscular actuation of the beak’s root. Using nonlinear finite element simulations coupled with continuation algorithms, we unveil a representative portion of the equilibrium manifold of the beak-inspired structure. The exploration involves the application of a sequence of rotations as exerted by the hummingbird muscles. Specific emphasis is placed on pinpointing and tailoring the position along the manifold of the saddle-node bifurcation at which the onset of elastic instability triggers dynamic snap-through. We show the critical importance of the intermediate rotation input in the sequence, as it results in the accumulation of elastic energy that is then explosively released as kinetic energy upon snap-through. Informed by our numerical studies, we conduct experimental testing on a prototype end effector fabricated using a compliant material (thermoplastic polyurethane). The experimental results support the trends observed in the numerical simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the bio-inspired design. Specifically, we measure the energy transferred by the soft end effector to a pendulum, varying the input levels in the sequence of prescribed rotations. Additionally, we demonstrate a potential robotic application in scenarios demanding explosive action. From a mechanics perspective, our work sheds light on how pre-stress fields can enable swift movement in soft robotic systems with the potential to facilitate high input-to-output energy efficiency. Journal Article Journal of the Royal Society Interface 21 218 The Royal Society 1742-5689 1742-5662 Functional morphology, snap-through instability, elastic tailoring, programmability, energy amplification, well-behaved nonlinear structures 4 9 2024 2024-09-04 10.1098/rsif.2024.0148 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee V.C.H.W. was funded by the Faculty Postdoc Research Prize awarded to J.S. at the University of Bristol. J.S. was funded by the Leverhulme Trust through a Philip Leverhulme Prize awarded to R.M.J.G. J.S. was also funded by a Research Fellowship from Exeter Technologies Group at University of Exeter. R.M.J.G. was also funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering under the Research Fellowship scheme [RFz201718z17178]. 2024-09-04T12:27:10.2858820 2024-09-04T11:45:47.2755086 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace Engineering Jiajia Shen 0000-0003-2763-1147 1 Martin Garrad 2 Qicheng Zhang 3 Vico Chun Hei Wong 4 Alberto Pirrera 0000-0003-3867-3916 5 Rainer M. J. Groh 0000-0001-5031-7493 6 67554__31256__351c923fe30f4054a65463e144a2856e.pdf rsif.2024.0148.pdf 2024-09-04T11:45:47.0553272 Output 1475399 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY). true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
spellingShingle	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak Qicheng Zhang
title_short	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
title_full	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
title_fullStr	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
title_full_unstemmed	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
title_sort	A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
author_id_str_mv	8ff09bdb2a479fcc8d203f099b148f69
author_id_fullname_str_mv	8ff09bdb2a479fcc8d203f099b148f69_***_Qicheng Zhang
author	Qicheng Zhang
author2	Jiajia Shen Martin Garrad Qicheng Zhang Vico Chun Hei Wong Alberto Pirrera Rainer M. J. Groh
format	Journal article
container_title	Journal of the Royal Society Interface
container_volume	21
container_issue	218
publishDate	2024
institution	Swansea University
issn	1742-5689 1742-5662
doi_str_mv	10.1098/rsif.2024.0148
publisher	The Royal Society
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str	School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace Engineering{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
document_store_str	1
active_str	0
description	Biology is a wellspring of inspiration in engineering design. This paper delves into the application of elastic instabilities—commonly used in biological systems to facilitate swift movement—as a power-amplification mechanism for soft robots. Specifically, inspired by the nonlinear mechanics of the hummingbird beak—and shedding further light on it—we design, build and test a novel, rapid-response, soft end effector. The hummingbird beak embodies the capacity for swift movement, achieving closure in less than 10 ms . Previous work demonstrated that rapid movement is achieved through snap-through deformations, induced by muscular actuation of the beak’s root. Using nonlinear finite element simulations coupled with continuation algorithms, we unveil a representative portion of the equilibrium manifold of the beak-inspired structure. The exploration involves the application of a sequence of rotations as exerted by the hummingbird muscles. Specific emphasis is placed on pinpointing and tailoring the position along the manifold of the saddle-node bifurcation at which the onset of elastic instability triggers dynamic snap-through. We show the critical importance of the intermediate rotation input in the sequence, as it results in the accumulation of elastic energy that is then explosively released as kinetic energy upon snap-through. Informed by our numerical studies, we conduct experimental testing on a prototype end effector fabricated using a compliant material (thermoplastic polyurethane). The experimental results support the trends observed in the numerical simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the bio-inspired design. Specifically, we measure the energy transferred by the soft end effector to a pendulum, varying the input levels in the sequence of prescribed rotations. Additionally, we demonstrate a potential robotic application in scenarios demanding explosive action. From a mechanics perspective, our work sheds light on how pre-stress fields can enable swift movement in soft robotic systems with the potential to facilitate high input-to-output energy efficiency.
published_date	2024-09-04T12:27:09Z
_version_	1809264651292114944
score	11.035655

A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak

Similar Items