Soft and Biohybrid Robotics

Abstract

Soft robotics takes inspiration from nature and produces systems that are inherently safer to interact with. The class teaches processes involved in creating the structures, actuators, sensors, mechanical models, controllers, and machine learning models exploiting the deformable structure of soft robots in challenging tasks.(Class fully online via Zoom)

Objective

Learn about the processes involved in creating soft and biohybrid robotic structures, actuator, sensors, mechanical models, closed-loop controllers, and machine learning approaches. Understand how to exploit the structural impedance and the dynamics of soft and biohybrid robots in locomotion and object manipulation tasks. Demonstrated learned capabilities in either a simulation or a physical prototype built at home.

Content

Students will gain experience on a range of soft technologies and a model-based approaches to design and simulation of soft continuum robots. 0) Semester-long take-home project requiring students to implement the skills and knowledge learned during the class by building their own soft robotic prototype or simulation 1) Functional and intelligent materials for use in soft and biohybrid robotic applications 2) Design and design morphologies of soft robotic actuators and sensors 3) Fabrication techniques including 3D printing, casting, roll-to-roll, tissue engineering 4) Mechanical modeling including minimal parameter models, finite-element models and ML-based models 5) Closed-loop controllers of soft robots that exploit the robot's impedance and dynamics for locomotion and manipulation tasks 6) Deep Learning approaches to soft robotics, for design synthesis, modeling, and control (Class offered only online via Zoom, see Moodle for details)

Resources