A method of manufacturing an electrode assembly includes positioning a layer stack comprising an electrode positioned between an electrode insulator and a support polymer in a vacuum bag, removing air from the vacuum bag thereby vacuum coupling the electrode to the electrode insulator, and removing the layer stack from the vacuum bag, where upon removal of the layer stack from the vacuum bag, the electrode remains vacuum coupled to the electrode insulator and the electrode insulator is in direct contact with the electrode, thereby forming an electrode assembly.

A robotic manipulator, comprising: a platform (302); a first pair of pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) devices (112,114) coupled to the platform (302) at a first end of the first pair of PAM devices; a second pair of PAM devices (116, 118) coupled to the platform (302) at a first end of the second pair of PAM devices; a first pulley (342) coupling the first pair of PAM devices via a first belt (132) at a second end of the first pair of PAM devices; a second pulley (344) coupling the second pair of PAM devices via a second belt (134) at a second end of the second pair of PAM devices; a U-joint (160) positioned between the first and second pulleys, wherein the first pulley (342), the second pulley (344), and the U-joint (160) are rotatable along a pitch axis (P1), a yaw axis (Y1), and a roll axis (R1); and an actuated object (170) coupled to the U-joint (160), wherein motion of one of the first belt (132) of the first pair of PAM devices, the second belt (134) of the second pair of PAM devices, and both the first belt (132) and the second belt (134), cause motion of the actuated object (170) along one of the pitch axis (P1), the yaw axis (Y1), and the roll axis (R1).

A soft bodied robotic member has the appearance of a finger and has a deformable rubber elongated body surrounding an array of rigid ribs interconnected by a perpendicular constraint. The plates form a series of parallel protrusions extending from opposed sides of the body and have a serrated, sawtooth or wavelike appearance. A tether runs through each row of protrusions and draws the corresponding protrusions together in a compressive manner to bend or dispose the finger toward the compressed side. Gaps between the protrusion allow movement of the protrusion towards adjacent protrusions to dispose the body in an arcuate shape. The constraint is a planar sheet that bends with the arc along its width, but resists lateral twisting, thus limiting movement outside a plane defined by the arc and the tether. Multiple finger members may be placed in close geometric proximity for gripping a common object

The present invention relates to a pusher mechanism comprising a column (1) capable of being subjected to a compressive force or a pulling force when in use and having a height (H) defining a first direction, a width (l) and a thickness (E), the thickness (E) being constant, the height (H) being variable, when in use, between a quiescent value (H.sub.0) and a maximum value (H.sub.M) and the width (l) being variable, when in use, between a quiescent value (l.sub.0) and a minimum value (l.sub.in), the column comprising two vertical members (2, 3) facing each other and extending along the height (H) and the thickness (E), and reversible means (6) supported by the vertical members and designed to transform a compressive force exerted on the vertical members along the width (l) of the column into a movement along the first direction of the column, the width (l) of which subsequently decreases (l<l.sub.0) and the height (H) of which subsequently increases (H>H.sub.0), and vice versa.

[Object] To provide a hybrid actuator attaining both driving force and responsiveness, capable of reducing inertia of a movable portion.

[Solution] A pneumatic air muscle has a cylinder (112) provided in a flexible member (100) forming a pneumatic artificial muscle. At the center of an upper lid element (109) of the cylinder, a through hole is opened, and an inner wire (103) of a Bowden cable passes through this through hole and is coupled by means of a spring (106) to a bottom portion of the cylinder. When the pneumatic artificial muscle contracts, the inner wire (103) and the pneumatic air muscle move together because of the stopper (105), and the contraction force is transmitted. In contrast, when the pneumatic air muscle extends, the stopper (105) is disengaged, while the tension of inner wire (103) is kept by the spring (106) to prevent slacking.

A selectively actuated textile includes one or more pieces of fabric having one or more circumferentially constrained channels and one or more hollow elastic tubes located within the circumferentially constrained channels and configured to receive a working fluid. Selectively providing or removing working fluid from the hollow elastic tubes provides for selective actuation of the textile.

A tendon-driven robotic gripper is disclosed for performing fingertip and enveloping grasps. One embodiment comprises two fingers, each with two links, and is actuated using a single active tendon. During unobstructed closing, the distal links remain parallel, creating exact fingertip grasps. Conversely, if the proximal links are stopped by contact with an object, the distal links start flexing, creating a stable enveloping grasp. The route of the active tendon and the parameters of the springs providing passive extension forces are optimized in order to achieve this behavior. An additional passive tendon is disclosed that may be used as a constraint preventing the gripper from entering undesirable parts of the joint workspace. A method for optimizing the dimensions of the links in order to achieve enveloping grasps of a large range of objects is disclosed and applied to a set of common household objects.

A biomimetics based robot is disclosed. The robot may include filament driven and fluid pumped elastomer based artificial muscles coordinated for slow twitch/fast twitch contraction and movement of the robot by one or more microcontrollers. A process may provide physics based simulation for movement of a robot in a virtual setting. Embodiments include artificial skin and sensor systems in the artificial muscles and artificial skin whose feedback is used to control the muscles and movement of the robot.

An artificial muscle includes an electrode pair including a first electrode and a second electrode. One or both of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a central opening. The first electrode and the second electrode each include two or more fan portions and two or more bridge portions. Each fan portion includes a first end having an inner length, a second end having an outer length, a first side edge extending from the second end, and a second side edge extending from the second end. The outer length is greater than the inner length. Each bridge portion interconnecting adjacent fan portions at the first end.

A system and method for controlling a device, such as a virtual reality (VR) and/or a prosthetic limb are provided. A biomimetic controller of the system comprises a signal processor and a musculoskeletal model. The signal processor processes M biological signals received from a residual limb to transform the M biological signals into N activation signals, where M and N are integers and M is less than N. The musculoskeletal model transforms the N activation signals into intended motion signals. A prosthesis controller transforms the intended motion signals into three or more control signals that are outputted from an output port of the prosthesis controller. A controlled device receives the control signals and performs one or more tasks in accordance with the control signals.