Abstract: Modular designs in soft robots enable repair and reconfiguration, making soft modular robots suitable for applications where resilience, flexibility, and adaptability are critical. This paper introduces a modular soft robot (MSR) based on origami actuator modules that are manufactured from reversible polymers, e.g., self-healing polymers. This work highlights … [Read more...] about Reconfigurable Modular Soft Actuator Using Origami Structures With Self-Healing Materials: Several Technological Opportunities for Robotic Applications
Features
Integrating Software-Less Reflex Mechanisms Into Soft Robots and a Versatile Gripper: A New Bistable Method
Abstract: While most soft pneumatic grippers that operate with a single control parameter (such as pressure or airflow) are limited to a single grasping modality, this article introduces a new method for incorporating multiple grasping modalities into vacuum-driven soft grippers. This is achieved by combining stiffness manipulation with a bistable mechanism. The system … [Read more...] about Integrating Software-Less Reflex Mechanisms Into Soft Robots and a Versatile Gripper: A New Bistable Method
Natural Multimodal Fusion-Based Human–Robot Interaction: Application With Voice and Deictic Posture via Large Language Model
Abstract: Translating human intent into robot commands is crucial for the future of service robots in an aging society. Existing human–robot interaction (HRI) systems relying on gestures or verbal commands are impractical for the elderly, due to difficulties with complex syntax or sign language. To address the challenge, this article introduces a multimodal interaction … [Read more...] about Natural Multimodal Fusion-Based Human–Robot Interaction: Application With Voice and Deictic Posture via Large Language Model
Autonomous Ultraviolet-C Disinfection and Wiping Robot: Assessment in a Hospital Environment
Abstract: This article explores the advent of an innovative autonomous robot designed to enhance hospital disinfection through targeted wiping and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation methods. The urgency for such advancements has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed challenges, such as low compliance rates, physical fatigue, labor shortages, and … [Read more...] about Autonomous Ultraviolet-C Disinfection and Wiping Robot: Assessment in a Hospital Environment
A Biomimetic and Energy-Efficient Leg Design for a Humanoid Robot: An Exclusively Linear-Actuated Implementation
Abstract: The mobility and manipulation of bipedal humanoid robots always depend on their legs, which account for balance and may substantially accelerate energy consumption, especially when the lower body is expected to be stationary. To this end, this article presents a biomimetic and energy-efficient design for bipedal robots’ legs and extensively demonstrates its … [Read more...] about A Biomimetic and Energy-Efficient Leg Design for a Humanoid Robot: An Exclusively Linear-Actuated Implementation
