pneumatic
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Scientists 'knit' soft robotic wearables for easier design and fabrication
Scientists have developed a new way to design and build soft robots that could lead to new assistive and rehabilitative devices.
Tiny pneumatic actuator makes soft robots practical
Soft robots that bend and stretch are cool concepts, but there's usually a lot of clunky hardware involved to make them work, like air compressors and gas generators. They're seldom practical in real life. However, Okayama University researchers have developed a tiny pneumatic actuator that should make those squishy automatons viable. The machinery changes pressure by turning water into hydrogen and oxygen (through a catalyst) in a matter of seconds, and reversing that process about as quickly. All it needs to get going is some electricity -- it doesn't require moving parts or vents, and it's effectively silent.
This bloke's air-powered Wolverine claws could probably kill you
For some of us, the closest we'll ever get to becoming Wolverine is making a pair of cardboard claws, growing a bitchin' set of sideburns and developing a cigar-chewing habit. The more industrially inclined, however, make sets of air-powered, razor-sharp talons that can cut through a watermelon like... Well, how an adamantium knuckle-knife might slice through watermelon. YouTube user ColinFurze fabricated a set of 12-inch stainless steel claws that extend and retract thanks to a set of palm-mounted toggle switches that connect to compressed-air tank on his back -- no bicep-flexes required here, folks. If you're feeling particularly inspired and/or have a welder and some plate-stock handy, bub, Furze has posted a how-to video in addition to the clip where he joyously hacks apart cardboard and what looks like a Mystique blow-up doll (seriously). Even better, he's promised more X-Men-themed videos come next Thursday. Try not to go berserk before then, would-be Weapon X.
Tokyo University of Science shows off robotic suit powered by pneumatic artificial muscles (video)
What can one do with a robot suit? Well, it's certainly not limited to just lifting sacks of rice, but that was exactly what we got to do at CEATEC courtesy of Koba Lab from Tokyo University of Science. First seen in 2009, the magic behind this 9kg kit are the pair of pneumatic artificial muscles (aka McKibben artificial muscles) on the back, which are made by industrial equipment manufacturer Kanda Tsushin. When pressurized with air using electrical components from KOA Corporation, the lightweight, loosely-woven PET tubes contract and consequently provide support to the user's back, shoulders and elbows. As such, our arms were able to easily hold two more sacks of rice (making it a total of 50kg) until the demonstrator deflated the muscles. Check out our jolly hands-on video after the break.
Lego-built robotic arm will pour you a drink, collapse under pressure (video)
We've seen countless robotics projects made either partly or entirely out of Lego, but this pneumatic arm built by Max Sheppard has to rank among the most impressive. As you can see in the video above, while it may be a bit on the slow side, the arm's range of motion is remarkably life-like (even by non-Lego standards). It's also able to grip objects of different sizes, and with enough precision to pour water out of a cup, although Sheppard says it can't lift anything more than a couple of pounds. No word if he has any plans to attach the arm to something.
Ant-Roach inflatable robot can carry a family, scare the kids (video)
This 15-foot inflatable pneumatic beast is a confusing mix of child-like inflatable wonder and cold, brutal, robopocalypse-beckoning science. The Ant-Roach (half-anteater, half, er, roach) is still a concept device, with inflatable actuators on the legs doing the heavy lifting -- apparently up to 1,000 pounds. Manifolds are peppered along the beast's underbelly, with a microcontroller obeying its soft-stomping orders by wireless signal. While it battles for our inflatable robot affections, you can check it (just about) conquering shallow water right after the break. P.S. We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the same lab has also developed an inflatable robot arm. Check it out after the break as well.
Pseudomorph dress is just begging for your pocket protector (video)
We're not going to pretend to understand haute couture. But when Anouk Wipprecht hooks up a nine-volt battery to a dress for the purpose of dribbling ink down the front from a pneumatic udder octet, well, you've just caught the attention of card-carrying nerds everywhere.
Carnegie Mellon morphs 'pop-up buttons' onto multi-touch display
While attempts to add feedback to touchscreen displays via vibration and audible tones are laudable, these attempts are nothing by comparison to the tactile euphoria felt at the press of a well-designed button. Still, many of us are willing to sacrifice tactility in order to maximize display sizes on our pocketable or portable devices. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon have developed touch-sensitive displays with physical buttons that "pop-out" from the surface. CM's prototypes pump air through geometric-shaped holes to create concave or convex "buttons" on a screen covered with a semi-transparent latex -- IR sensors and cameras detect finger placement while a projector cast images (like numbers and graphics) onto the display. It can even sense press-force by monitoring changes in air pressure. Sure it all sounds overly cumbersome until you see the technology demonstrated. For that you can travel to Pittsburgh to count the rivers or just hit the read link below for the video. Read -- Video Read -- Technology Review
mypressi TWIST gives espresso addicts an easier way to indulge
You know the story -- your daily craving for a shot of espresso hits right around 7:30AM local time, and if you don't have it in your grasp by 0800 hours, you're likely visiting the slammer for at least a day or two for barista battery. In a beautiful effort to keep addicts far away from prisons and ever closer to their productivity machines, Espressi has unveiled the mypressi TWIST, which is described as a truly portable espresso maker that delivers top-notch goods without the wait. The secret to the one-pound device is the pneumatic engine that provides constant pressure throughout the extraction cycle, and we're told that a single CO2 cartridge can provide around eight shots. It'll hit American shores this fall for $129 -- 'til then, it's on you to keep a local shop on retainer.[Via Single Serve Expresso]
SkinForm Project sees shape-shifting structure get its wiggle on
There's no shame in admitting that shape-shifting creatures are a touch frightening, but we'll go ahead and warn you -- those spooked by petite bots will be utterly terrified by this. The SkinForm Project has arisen from the University of Technology Sydney, and while there aren't any elaborate details available just yet, it's described as an "intelligent pneumatic structure that transforms dynamically in response to socio-physical context." Additionally, it seems to utilize a plethora of sensors and rely on a good bit of software programing in order to become the transforming architecture that it is. If all goes as planned, the initiative will be completed on June 12th, but you can take a look at a number of in-progress videos right down there in the read link below.
