-ENTIRELY SOFT  GAURI.V S3 ECE 32 OCTOBOT -ENTIRELY SOFT  GAURI.V S3 ECE 32

Soft robotics is a sub-field of robotics that deals with non rigid robots constructed with soft and deformable materials like silicone, plastic, fabric, rubber, or compliant mechanical parts like springs. WHAT IS SOFT ROBOTICS??!!!

WHAT IS AN OCTOBOT A team of Harvard University researchers with expertise in 3-D printing, mechanical engineering, and microfluidics has demonstrated the first autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot. This small, 3-D- printed robot — nicknamed the “octobot” — could pave the way for a new generation of such machines. Octopuses have long been a source of inspiration in soft robotics. These curious creatures can perform incredible feats of strength and dexterity with no internal skeleton.

What powers an octobot Harvard’s octobot is pneumatic-based, and so is powered by gas under pressure. A reaction inside the bot transforms a small amount of liquid fuel (hydrogen peroxide) into a large amount of gas, which flows into the octobot’s arms and inflates them like balloons. The wonderful thing about hydrogen peroxide is that a simple reaction between the chemical and a catalyst — in this case platinum — allows us to replace rigid power sources.

To control the reaction, the team used a microfluidic logic circuit based on pioneering work by co-author and chemist George Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor and a core faculty member of the Wyss. The circuit, a soft analog of a simple electronic oscillator, controls when hydrogen peroxide decomposes to gas in the octobot.

working This squishy octopus – shaped robot is less than 2 centimetres tall. Harvard has had it’s own soft robot earlier. But what makes this robot special is its ability to move on its own. The present octobot is only the size of an SD card and can only wiggle it’s tentacles. Octobot is made from silicone gel of varying stiffness. A sequence of limb movements is pre-programmed into a sort of circuit board built from small pipes. For now, the robot just sits in one place and pumps its alternating legs up and down very slowly. But the exciting fact is that, this does not require a tether to external controllers or power sources. The hope is that, one day these bots would squeeze under obstacles on search and rescue mission and wiggle their way to awkward surgical location.

Humans are soft. These soft robots are hence, entirely safe to work with. At the heart of the bot there is a fluidic logic circuit. The valves act as logic gates. Allowing gas to flow and inflate the compartments inside the eight separate limbs The gas is pumped into that circuit by a little fuel cell filled with hydrogen peroxide, which reacts with particles of platinum left in the system by the printing process. All that was left to do was to fill the robot with fuel and watch it go. The circuit sets up alternating movement, whereby balloon- like chambers are inflated inside four limbs at a time. The octobot raises four legs and lowers the other four, then swaps. It is a simple demonstration but an important one.

Why an octopus??!!! They are great escape artists. They are capable t squeeze around any obstacle course. There are flecks of hydrogen peroxide embedded within the bot. when the hydrogen peroxide washes over them, large amount of gas is produced. This inflates the bot. The gas propagates through the 3D printed pneumatic chambers that link its eight arms .Hundreds of octobots were created until the pneumatics were just right. Now, the bot’s fuel lasts four to eight minutes. This enables it to wiggle it’s tentacles. But the scientists are trying to inco-operate sensors in them. These sensors will allow them to move towards or away from some sort of obstacle.

Advantages The octobots come in handy where ever we require a very light touch. These robots can extremely be useful to send medicine inside our bodies. The important point is that, a rigid material is not as safe as a soft robot around humans. These silicone robots are proved to be extremely safe. They can squeeze under or through almost any obstacle. This has great need in search and surveillance. And in military applications too.

Octobot is actually a very simple design. Ry complicated designs can be made using the same principle and soft robotics. Scientists claim that soft robotics will pave way for extremely great developments. The main challenge that is faced by soft robots is the conventional ideologies. We always find batteries and other rigid components more viable. We should be able to find equally viable soft components to help soft robotics move forward.

Similar inventions These robots inspires from nature are referred to as bio inspired design. There are designs utilising the crawling of insects, the flight of bees and so on. The robot fish is a good escape artist. Flexible flying robots were manufactured copying cockroaches. Thus nature if filled with inspirations. We just have to utilise them. All we have to do is “SEEK AND FIND”