DEVELOPMENT OF TUNABLE VARIABLE STIFFNESS FOR APPLICATION ON SOFT ROBOT

• Main Author: Zuhair Fulvian, Fairuz
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik (Rekayasa, enjinering dan kegiatan berkaitan)
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/77632
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

In the current era, there has been a remarkable increase in interest and advancement in the field of robotics, aiming to create specialized structures for safe human interaction. Softness, flexibility, and variable stiffness in robotics have been recognized as highly desirable characteristics for many applications, necessitating the development of soft robots that can change their stiffness to improve performance. This research focuses on developing tunable variable stiffness that will be applied in experiments with the caudal fin of a fish to develop a flapping propulsion system for underwater bioinspired vehicles. The research utilizes the layer jamming method, a technique to increase stiffness by applying vacuum pressure to the structure. The tunable variable stiffness consists of core and outer layers. The core is made from a structure of stacked layers of several sheets of paper, the quantity of which is varied, and there is variation by adding layers of silicone with different thicknesses, wrapped in a plastic chamber and connected to a vacuum hose. The outer layer is made of silicone material cast onto the core using a 3D printed mold. Stiffness testing is conducted with a horizontal cantilever beam concept. The results show that when vacuum pressure is applied, these layers fuse together and provide higher stiffness to the overall structure. However, when the vacuum pressure is reduced or removed, the layers can move freely again, resulting in lower stiffness. Thus, the structure's stiffness can be continuously adjusted and adapted through variations in vacuum pressure.