SOFT ORIGAMI-BASED ACTUATOR AND SENSOR

Abstract

In this thesis, a soft active origami robot capable of self-actuation based on electrostatic attraction is demonstrated. This robot features easy fabrication, low weight (~7g) and low cost (~1US$). A theoretical model is developed to interpret the self-actuation mechanism. This soft active origami robot exhibits interesting attributes such as robustness, scalability and adaptability. In addition, a novel soft compression sensor based on origami technique is also present. The sensitivity of the sensor is 0.05kPa-1, which is quite high among the elastomer based soft sensors. The performance of the sensor is highly repeatable, and the hysteresis effect is negligible. On the other hand, the sensor also acts as an actuator and provides haptic feedback. The sensor can achieve a maximum haptic force of 400mN under an AC voltage of 7kV, 35.5Hz. The amplitude of the haptic force is comparable to the smart actuator based haptic devices in literature.