Liquid Crystalline Elastomers in Soft Robotics: Assessing Promise and Limitations
Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are programmable soft materials that undergo large, anisotropic deformation in response to external stimuli. Their molecular alignment encodes directional actuation in a monolithic structure, making them long‐standing candidates for soft robotic systems.
Justin M. Speregen, Timothy J. White
wiley +1 more source
Older adults' lower-limb muscle power production throughout a full flight of stairs: Reliability and comparison between different stair models. [PDF]
Meulemans L +3 more
europepmc +1 more source
Compliant Pneumatic Feet with Real‐Time Stiffness Adaptation for Humanoid Locomotion
A compliant pneumatic foot with real‐time variable stiffness enables humanoid robots to adapt to changing terrains. Using onboard vision and pressure control, the foot modulates stiffness within each gait cycle, reducing impact forces and improving balance. The design, cast in soft silicone with embedded air chambers and Kevlar wrapping, offers durable,
Irene Frizza +3 more
wiley +1 more source
Muscle Control of an Extra Robotic Digit
This study compares muscle‐ and movement‐based control for operating a supernumerary robotic thumb. While movement control performs better in the proposed tasks, muscle‐based (EMG) control promotes broader motor learning. The results highlight the promise and challenges of using biosignals for human augmentation, offering new insights into intuitive ...
Julien Russ +7 more
wiley +1 more source
Here, we present a textile, wearable capacitive interface enabling multidirectional remote control by dynamically modulating electrode overlap and spacing via a freely gliding upper electrode. A forearm‐mounted prototype drives robotic and media tasks with 12–15 ms latency, maintains < 0.8% drift after 500 cycles, and remains stably functional at 90 ...
Cagatay Gumus +8 more
wiley +1 more source
Durability of Soft Pneumatic Actuators: A Review and Benchmarking Protocol
Lack of durability is a key challenge hindering the broad scale adoption of soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) in automation industries. This review provides a comprehensive overview of existing research on SPA durability, introduces a standardized durability benchmarking protocol to consolidate the testing of SPAs, and outlines promising directions for ...
Dickson Chiu Yu Wong +2 more
wiley +1 more source
A Soft Robotic Fish With a Dielectric Elastomer Actuator Body and Negative Stiffness Spine
This work introduces a bio‐mimetic soft robotic fish driven by fiber‐reinforced dielectric elastomer actuators integrated as its body. By prestretching this active skin against a flexible spine, a negative stiffness system is created, enabling large‐amplitude bending.
Markus Koenigsdorff +4 more
wiley +1 more source
Hybrid Continuum Robot Designs and Architectures for Healthcare Applications
Hybrid continuum robots represent an emerging class of flexible manipulators that blend materials, structures, and actuation concepts from the established fields of soft and continuum robotics. This review introduces an accessible framework to distinguish key hybridization approaches, surveys current designs aimed at complex clinical applications, and ...
Burak Ozdemir +4 more
wiley +1 more source
Exploring the relationship between Total Athleticism score and CrossFit® Open Performance in amateur athletes: single measure involving body fat percentage, aerobic capacity, muscle power and local muscle endurance. [PDF]
Tibana RA +5 more
europepmc +1 more source

