Title: Jamming as a tunable-stiffness mechanism for soft robotics: How grain properties factor into the design space

Author (Talk): Nadia Cheng, MIT

Abstract:

The motivation of our work is to develop tunable stiffness mechanisms and materials for soft robotic applications. Our approach is to control the jamming of granular material so that segments of the robot can transition between compliant, fluid-like states and load-bearing, rigid ones. Currently, we are controlling jamming via differential air pressure by containing the granular material in an enclosed, flexible membrane and applying a vacuum to the system. To utilize jamming for robotic applications, we want to understand how parameters such as grain shape, grain surface roughness, and overall system design can be optimized to meet engineering requirements. For example, our goal is to design a jamming system that has significant strength and stiffness change between the soft and rigid states, and can easily and repeatably jam and unjam when transitioning between states. Our studies are primarily conducted through experiments.