A soft ring oscillator
Periodic actuation of multiple soft, pneumatic actuators requires coordinated function of multiple, separate components. This work demonstrates a soft, pneumatic ring oscillator that induces temporally coordinated periodic motion in soft actuators using a single, constant-pressure source, without hard valves or electronic controls. The fundamental unit of this ring oscillator is a soft, pneumatic inverter (an inverting Schmitt trigger) that switches between its two states (“on” and “off”) using two instabilities in elastomeric structures: buckling of internal tubing and snap-through of a hemispherical membrane. An odd number of these inverters connected in a loop produces the same number of periodically oscillating outputs, resulting from a third, system-level instability; the frequency of oscillation depends on three system parameters that can be adjusted. These oscillatory output pressures enable several applications, including undulating and rolling motions in soft robots, size-based particle separation, pneumatic mechanotherapy, and metering of fluids. The soft ring oscillator eliminates the need for hard valves and electronic controls in these applications.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- ER45852; GEM Fellowship
- OSTI ID:
- 1529671
- Journal Information:
- Science Robotics, Journal Name: Science Robotics Vol. 4 Journal Issue: 31; ISSN 2470-9476
- Publisher:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A buckling-sheet ring oscillator for electronics-free, multimodal locomotion
Digital logic for soft devices