SIMULATION MODELLING OF FABRIC ACTUATORS

The recent advancement in science and technology has seen textiles being utilized in more functional and technical applications rather than shielding against environment or satisfying fashion needs. On the other hand, soft robotics has been the talk of the town recently, providing viable solutions t

Project Title

SIMULATION MODELLING OF FABRIC ACTUATORS

Project Area of Specialization

Robotics

Project Summary

The recent advancement in science and technology has seen textiles being utilized in more functional and technical applications rather than shielding against environment or satisfying fashion needs. On the other hand, soft robotics has been the talk of the town recently, providing viable solutions to unsolved medical and rehabilitation problems. This research intends to further extend the current technology in wearable devices by leveraging textile materials to develop soft actuators that can be perform complex motions, similar to a human hand. Existing textile technologies including Weft-knitting machine and stitching machine will be exploited for the fabrication of these actuators. Simulation modeling of these actuators will be carried out using Abaqus CAE to identify key properties that contributes to these complex motions.

Project Objectives

1. Carry out literature review of actuators developed by different research groups. Rigid and Soft actuators both will be covered, with a special focus on textile-based soft actuators.
2. Identification and selection of design and material requirements for the soft actuators
3. Fabrication of the soft actuators using commercially viable textile technologies and materials
4. Finite Element Modeling and simulation of actuators using Abaqus CAE
5. Model Validation through experimental data
6. Development of actuators using optimized values and its evaluation

Project Implementation Method

Material selection and Procurement: This includes careful selection of material based on the required functionalities and their processability on sewing machine

Design and Fabrication of Actuators: This stage is more of an exploratory one, where different designs will be evaluated to carefully select the best design in order to fabricate actuators.

Simulation Modeling of Actuators: A model of these actuators will be developed using ABAQUS CAE and will be evaluated through finite element method to identify key material properties which affect actuator performance

Benefits of the Project

Every year, more than 0.8 million people in the United States faces a stroke of which approximately 66% of them require recovery. Moreover, financial damage caused by stroke in the United States accounts for $34 billion every year. Such statistics show quite clearly, the magnitude of damage caused by this disease even in developed country like USA. These were just the devastation caused by one disease, there are many more such diseases like Parkinson, Arthritis, Spinal Cord Injury, etc. that results in disabilities specially in upper limb extremities. One can now imagine the combined impact of all these diseases. Current rehabilitation techniques and therapists are not enough to fulfill needs of this ever-growing numbers.

This research will open new opportunities for researchers to explore more on textile-based actuators and will provide guidelines on material selection for further applications. In addition, these novel actuators will help hand-impaired individuals in their daily life activities and thus improving their quality of life.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

At the end of the project, we expect to develop pneumatic powered textile bending actuators that can perform complex motions similar to human fingers which can be used as a rehabilitative or assistive devies when installed onto a glove. In addition, the project will outline optimal properties for better performance.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Health

Other Industries

Core Technology

Robotics

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Reduced Inequality

Required Resources

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