The design of soft fluid filled actuators driven by conductive nylon

Soft robots have become increasingly prevalent due to their distinct advantages over traditional rigid robots such as high deformability and good impact resistance. However, soft robotics are currently limited by bulky, non-portable methods of actuation. In this study, we propose a soft actuator driven by conductive nylon artificial muscles which is able to produce forces up to 1.2N. By utilizing nylon artificial muscles, the system does not require sizable pumps or compressors for actuation. The proposed actuator is made up of two main components, a sealed bladder filled with air and an arrangement of nylon artificial muscles. The quasi static behavior of the actuator is characterized using established hyper elastic models and validated against experimental results (maximum error of 5.3%). Using these models, a set of design considerations are formulated which outline the achievable torques for various actuator dimensions.