A unified framework for soft inflatable fabric actuators.

ABSTRACT: Soft inflatable fabric actuators are gaining traction in soft robotics due to their lightweight, compliant structures and capacity for generating diverse motions. However, the increasing diversity and structural complexity of their designs present significant challenges for scalable modeling and predictive performance analysis. Here, we present a unified taxonomy of soft inflatable fabric actuators, built around a stiffening actuator as a fundamental unit cell. We introduce a spring-based modeling framework that captures the mechanical behavior of complex actuator types- including elongating, contracting, and bending- through modular combinations of individual units in series or parallel. High-fidelity finite element simulations, validated experimentally, show that the mechanical response

SUBMITTER: Simatos O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12644749 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature