Design and Deformation Testing of a Closed-chamber Inflatable Soft Robot

doi:10.3901/JME.2025.11.023

Abstract

Abstract: To address the limited adaptability of traditional robotic arms in narrow-space exploration and insufficient controllability of conventional soft robots, a novel “rigid-soft hybrid” configuration for a closed-chamber inflatable soft robot is proposed. This design balances the reconfigurability of soft materials with the controllability of motion. Through a quantitative analysis of wrinkling characteristics during passive bending, a deformation model of the closed-chamber inflatable tube is established. Based on this, rigid deformable joints are designed, which can attach to the outer surface of the inflatable tube for crawling, rotation, and bending, enabling multi-modal deformation of the closed-chamber soft robot. In addition, force analyses during crawling and bending phases of the deformable joints are performed, and rigid-soft coupled finite element simulations are employed to investigate the effects of different joint configurations on the deformation shape and precision during passive bending in the inflatable tube. An experimental platform is established to validate the motion performance of the closed-chamber inflatable soft robot. This study is expected to provide a theoretical foundation and technical support for the exploration applications of closed-chamber inflatable soft robots in narrow, obstacle-avoidance environments.

Key words: soft robot, closed-chamber inflatable structure, multi-mode deformable joint, narrow space exploration

CLC Number:

TP242

CHENG Tianyi, YU Haitao, CHEN Jian, GONG Wei, GAO Haibo. Design and Deformation Testing of a Closed-chamber Inflatable Soft Robot[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 61(11): 23-33.

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